Terrance Brooks, the director of the strength and conditioning program in Sacramento State athletics was remembered by colleagues, pupils, a former coach and friends at the Alumni Center on Tuesday.

Brooks had been part of the campus since February of 2009. Previously, Brooks worked at Towson University, where he was the head of strength and conditioning for women’s and men’s golf, football, men’s swimming and women’s volleyball.

Brooks died June 13 while in surgery at the UC Davis Medical Center. Brooks was 47.

A friend, Chris Allworth, recounted how she met Brooks at a gym. She was working out when he gave her “the look” head down, eyes up, intentions clear. He wanted her to fix something. 

Allworth described Terrance as “a Christian first.”

Sami Field-Polisso, a former women’s basketball player, described another instance of “the look.” “The look” as Sami puts it, if you didn’t give Terrance “knuckles” when offered; “knuckles” meaning a fist-to-fist thump. “We (women’s basketball) were his favorite,” said Field-Polisso.

“He was more than a strengthen and conditioning coach,” Field-Polisso said. “He cared about us as individuals. He challenged us to be the best people that we could be. He was a man of God.”

Besides “the look,” Brooks had a favorite opening, which colleagues and players recounted. Marshall Sperbeck, head football coach, had the student athletes reenact this favorite back and forth Brooks had with them by making them stand up. Marshall asked them, the standing athletes, what kind of day it was in which the student athletes responded with “a great day to be alive.”

“In my lifetime, I can honestly say, that I have never been around a person with such great qualities all the way around” said Sperbeck.

A former football coach of Brooks’, Phil Albert, also spoke through video tribute during the memorial service. “Terry had the capacity to respect everybody that he came in contact with. He always saw the best in others” said Albert. Also, Albert described Terrance as “that person who makes everyone else around them better.”

Bob Rawleigh sang two songs, “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “Amazing Grace,” during the memorial service. Bob did not know Terrance, but was moved to express that “this was a great man” based on the examples of Brooks’ love for Jesus and the people’s outpouring of love for Terrance.

“No matter what, he was always pushing you and he expected a lot more out of you than you expected of yourself and that was the greatest thing about him,” said Henry Fernandez, sophomore Hornet football player.

Jamie Craighead, head women’s basketball coach, added, “during times of struggle he was always there with a quick word of encouragement.” Jamie shed tears as she described how Brooks was in heaven and “that you can be there with him one day by choosing to follow in coach’s footsteps. I miss him.”

Terrance Brooks is survived by his wife, Dana; parents Charles and Patricia Brooks, brother, Jarvis, and sister Alisande Yvette Brooks.

Colin McAteer can be reached at [email protected]