Brooks, Herb (1937-2003), an American hockey coach, led the United States team to the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. The United States team defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union national team in the semifinals in one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history. The United States team went on to defeat Finland for the gold medal. The U.S. team’s performance came to be known as The Miracle on Ice.
The U.S. victory over the Soviet Union came after the Soviets had defeated the American team 10-3 the week before the Olympics began in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviets were a veteran team heavily favored to win the gold medal. The U.S. team consisted mostly of college players. The Americans took the lead against the Soviet Union 4-3 with 10 minutes remaining. They fought off the Soviets for the victory, leading to a wild celebration on the ice and across the United States.
Herbert Paul Brooks, Jr., was born on Aug. 5, 1937, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He played on the high school team that won the Minnesota state hockey championship in 1955. He played on the University of Minnesota hockey team from 1955 to 1959. From 1960 to 1970, Brooks played amateur hockey. He earned a place on the 1964 and 1968 American Olympic teams. Brooks coached at the University of Minnesota from 1972 to 1979. His teams won National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hockey championships in 1974, 1976, and 1979.
After the 1980 Olympics, Brooks coached four teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). They were the New York Rangers (1981-1985), the Minnesota North Stars (1987-1988), the New Jersey Devils (1992-1993), and the Pittsburgh Penguins (1999-2000). He also coached the French national team in the 1998 Winter Olympics and coached the American team to a silver medal in the 2002 Olympics. Brooks died in an automobile accident on Aug. 11, 2003. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006.
