November 9, 2010

Former UNCW coach and AD Bill Brooks dies

Bill Brooks, the long-time coach and athletic director at UNC Wilmington, passed away on Monday afternoon at the age of 88.

Brooks was the first AD for the Seahawks and held the position for 40 years until his retirement in 1991.

A native of Wilson, N.C., played at Wake Forest and Atlantic Christian (now Barton). He earned his degree from Atlantic Christian in 1948 after serving in World War II.

Brooks arrived at UNCW, then Wilmington College, in 1951 as athletic director, head baseball coach, head basketball coach and chairman of the health and physical education department.

He posted a record of 574-292-6 in 27 seasons as head baseball coach. The Seahawks won national championships at the junior college level in 1961 and 1963 and finished second in 1962. Brooks was NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1975 after leading the Seahawks to the NAIA World Series.

Brooks was head basketball coach from 1951-63. He led the Seahawks to the NJCAA National Tournaments in 1962 and 1963. His final team finished sixth in the nation in the NJCAA tournament.

As an administrator, Brooks led Wilmington College into the NAIA in 1963 and to NCAA Division I in 1976. UNCW joined six members of the ECAC South in 1985 to form the Colonial Athletic Association, the school’s current conference affiliation.

His name is on UNCW’s baseball facility, Brooks Field. He was inducted into the National Junior College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1990, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and the UNCW Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. In 1990, the athletic directors in the CAA determined that the league’s regular-season MVP awards would be named in honor of Brooks.

Click here to link to photo gallery and quotes on Bill Brooks