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“Like father like son,” as the saying goes, is certainly true where the Brookharts and football are concerned.
J.D. Brookhart, the Zips new head coach, honed his skills on football fields in Iowa and Colorado where his father, Jack, coached high school teams for 37 years.
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| J.D. Brookhart, new head football coach, speaks to the campus community and reporters during a December press conference. |
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“I’ve always loved the game, I guess you could say it’s in my blood,” says Brookhart, who was a standout wide receiver at Colorado State (1985-87). “I just have a passion for the game — I look forward to coming to work every day.”
Brookhart spent the past seven seasons on the coaching staff of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers. During that time he served as both the wide receivers coach and the offensive coordinator, and guided one of the most prolific offenses in the Big East Conference. He also tutored the top-rated passer and receiver in the league in the 2003 season.
“We are thrilled to have J.D. as our new head football coach,” said Michael Thomas, UA’s athletic director. “J.D. brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for the game of football. Everyone that we spoke with during the process was extremely high on his ability as a coach, evaluator of talent and communicator. We expect great things of our football program in the future and feel he is the person to lead us in that direction.”
University President Luis M. Proenza is just as enthusiastic about the Zips’ future under Brookhart’s guidance.
“We have great expectations for our football team, as we do for all of our programs on campus. Our intercollegiate athletics programs are highly visible aspects of the University and, as such, should reflect the exciting improvements that are happening throughout the University. With the hiring of J.D., we have taken a significant step toward advancing our football program to the next level of competitiveness.”
Brookhart, who is the 25th head coach in UA’s history, started his collegiate coaching career at Pittsburgh as the team’s tight ends coach in 1997. After five straight losing seasons, the Panthers finished that season’s campaign with a 6-6 mark and made their first bowl appearance in eight years.
A native of Pueblo, Colo., Brookhart joined Pittsburgh after a two-year coaching stint (1995-96) with the Denver Broncos, under head coach Mike Shanahan. His primary responsibilities included working with the defensive scout team, breaking down the opponents’ offense and working with the special teams.
Prior to working with the Broncos, Brookhart was an account executive for six years in Colorado and Utah, including three years with Xerox Corp. During that time he also ran a speed camp for local high school and college athletes.
Although football season is many months away, Brookhart and members of his coaching staff are busy on several fronts.
“One of our challenges right now is to get to know our returning players and what they can do, and have them get to know us,” explains Brookhart. We’ll also be putting new systems in place and we’ll have to see how our players go through all of that.”
Another challenge is making the most of the current recruiting season.
“It’s been crazy, but really exciting too,” Brookhart says of his first weeks here. “The response has been tremendous from the people in this area, and from the student-athletes who have been here for visits. They’re overwhelmed by the facilities and all that’s going on around campus.”
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