Brooks Lawrence was known as one of Springfield's baseball greats. Attending Keifer Jr. High and Springfield South, he excelled in sports including track, basketball, and football.

During WWII, Brooks served in the Army on Guam where he was awarded the Bronze Star. After the war, he enrolled in 1947 at Miami University where he played on the baseball team.

After several years in the minor leagues, he was called up to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1955, where he was selected to the National All-Star team and ended as the top pitcher in the club. Brooks later worked front office of the Cincinnati Reds, being the first minority hire to handle scouting, minor-league development, radio and television work, and season ticket sales.

Brooks Lawrence is interred in Ferncliff's WWII Annex in the veterans section.