Brooks grew up in a small Oklahoma town and was the middle child of three boys who did nothing but play some sort of sport year round. Baseball was the preferred choice and being a son to a father who coached it at the college level for 38 years and Great-Nephew to the late Mickey Mantle, he was not short on experiencing it a different level than most. Brooks excelled at baseball, along with basketball and football throughout high school and thus didn't began pursuing acting until later in his life. He knew he wanted to act from the age of twelve when walking out of a theater after watching Good Will Hunting and knew he wanted to perform in a way to move people's emotions the way he had just been moved. For Brooks, the seed was planted. After four years of college baseball and an undergrad Business Management degree, Brooks went on to grad school where he earned a Masters Degree of Ed in Sports Administration, before he finally began pouring water over that seed through classes, workshops, seminars and other methods. These learning tools combined with becoming a husband and father helped Brooks tap into the ever growing emotional peaks and valleys of life, thus helping him to become the performer he is today.