Sports and Torts: Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey

For defensive end Claude Humphrey, the Atlanta Falcons\' all-time sack leader, the decades-long wait is finally over. He\'ll be inducted in Canton later this year. We talk to him about his career and the honor.

Sports and Torts: Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks

Derrick Brooks is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2014 Brooks\' overwhelming statistical achievements include 11 Pro Bowls, 5 first-team All-Pro selections and the 2002 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

Claude Humphrey

The Atlanta Falcons, with the third overall pick in the 1968 AFL/NFL Draft, selected Tennessee State defensive end Claude Humphrey. The 6-4, 252-pound Humphrey was an impact player who immediately justified his first-round status. His outstanding play earned him NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Although it didn’t become an official NFL statistic until after he retired, Humphrey is credited with 122 career sacks. A devastating pass rusher, he led his team in sacks nine of the 13 seasons he played for the Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, including his rookie season when he dumped opposing quarterbacks 11.5 times.

Despite playing on a Falcons team that had only three winning seasons during the 10-year span that he played, Humphrey managed to earn first- or second-team All-NFL or All-Pro honors eight times. He was also named first- or second-team All-NFC seven times and was selected to play in six Pro Bowls.

- See more at:

Learn More About Claude at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Website

Derrick Brooks

Linebacker Derrick Brooks, a four-year letterman and three-time All-American choice at Florida State, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 28th overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft. He was tabbed by the team to shore up a porous defense which had struggled for nearly 15 years. Brooks never missed a game during his 14-season career in which he established himself as the cornerstone for what was considered one of the NFL’s best defenses for a decade. Brooks earned a starting position in training camp of his rookie year and started all but three games that season. The three non-starts came when the Bucs opened with extra defensive backs against run-and-shoot teams. He never missed a start for the remainder of his 224-game NFL career. Brooks earned All-Rookie honors after he finished second on the team with 80 tackles. In 1997, Brooks led the Buccaneers to their first postseason appearance since 1981. He topped the team with 182 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 10 passes defensed to earn the first of his 11 Pro Bowl selections. -With Brooks entrenched as the defensive anchor, the Bucs led the NFL in total defense twice (2002 and 2005) and topped the NFC five times (1998, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2007) during the linebacker’s career. Brooks was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 when he again led Tampa Bay with 173 tackles, registered a career-high five interceptions (three of which were returned for TDs), 15 passes defensed, one fumble recovery, and one sack. He was a major contributor in the Bucs’ victory in Super Bowl XXXVII where he had three tackles, one pass defensed, and one interception returned 44 yards for a TD against the Oakland Raiders. Brooks was a six-time All-Pro choice, named All-NFC eight times, and selected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

More About Derrick