Brooks Gentle
Class of 2000
Brooks Gentle, a Huntsville native born May 3, 1940, distinguished himself as one of Butler High School’s most versatile and accomplished athletes during the late 1950s.
Gentle excelled in multiple sports while playing for some of the most respected coaches in Huntsville-Madison County athletics, including Cotton Rogers, Fulton Hamilton, Lester “Sonny Boy” Westbrooks, James Talley and Hub Myhand — all members of the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame. Coach Hamilton once remarked that Gentle was “one of the best running backs to ever play for me.”
At Butler High School from 1957 to 1959, Gentle’s athletic accomplishments were remarkable. In football, he earned All-Tennessee Valley Conference honors for three consecutive seasons. On the baseball diamond, he was selected All-District from 1957 through 1959, and he earned All-County honors in basketball in 1957. His outstanding senior year earned him recognition as the Acme Athlete of the Year in 1959.
Following his successful high school career, Gentle signed a football scholarship to attend Vanderbilt University. His athletic talents also attracted professional attention in baseball. During the spring following his senior year, the Cleveland Indians signed him to a professional baseball contract. Gentle spent three seasons playing in the Indians’ minor league farm system.
Even after his professional career, Gentle continued to contribute to Huntsville’s baseball tradition. He played semi-professional baseball with coach Jim Talley and the Huntsville Merchants, helping the team reach the prestigious National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita, Kansas on two occasions.
Beyond athletics, Gentle devoted many years to public service. He worked for the United States government from 1962 until his retirement in 1998.
Brooks Gentle and his wife, Linda, are the parents of four children: Edward Jr., Amy, Jessica and Alex.
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