During a high school coaching career that lasted more than three decades, Elmore “Mo” Brooks established himself as an Idaho coaching legend. Brooks led a pair of teams to state baseball championships at Meridian High School and built his legacy as one of the state’s top coaches, with the baseball field at Storey Park now carrying his name.
The former C of I quarterback credits his experiences at the College, both in the classroom and as a student-athlete, for providing the foundation of his success.
“I remember the collegiality and camaraderie of the players the most,” Brooks said. “From an academic perspective, the liberal arts gave me a whole different outlook.”
Brooks, who majored in psychology and history at the C of I, said he also took courses in subjects such as philosophy and religion that he never imagined he would take.
“Those courses opened my eyes to some things,” he said. “There were great professors who I was able to learn from.”
After Brooks graduated from the College in 1966, he was recruited to teach psychology at Homedale High School during the first year that psychology courses were offered in Idaho. The following year, he took a teaching position at Meridian and started a coaching career that would extend for 25 years in football and 33 years in baseball.
Brooks said his coaching philosophy was inspired by the individual attention C of I coaches were able to give student-athletes.
“[Coach] Babe Brown was like my second dad, he really took care of me,” Brooks said. “When my classmates and I got into the world of coaching, we had a strong commitment to taking care of our kids too and helping them take the next steps they needed to succeed.”
Brooks is excited that other high school football players from the Northwest will again play football at his alma mater starting in fall 2014.
“I’m so happy for the school and I’m so happy for the local kids who will have a chance to play football and attend The College of Idaho,” Brooks said. “The liberal arts at the C of I opens up so many new avenues, and that’s a real plus for the kids who will play football there.”
