NEED TO KNOW
- Brooke Dickerson is the wife of Philadelphia Eagles fullback Landon Dickerson
- Together, the pair have amassed over 70,000 followers on Instagram for their shared DIY Instagram account, @dickerson_diys, where they have documented their journey renovated their Philadelphia home
- Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Brooke opened up about her and Landon’s relationship, their DIY partnership and her experience being married to the NFL player
On the football field, Philadelphia Eagles offensive guard Landon Dickerson is accustomed to knocking down defensive players, but at home, he’s used to building things up.
Alongside his wife, Brooke Dickerson, the pair run a DIY page, @dickerson_diys, with over 71,000 followers on Instagram, where they’ve documented their journey renovating their house, or as the two put it on the account, “enjoying our mortgage.”
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Brooke opened up about how the account came to be — and how she was able to get Landon involved (spoiler alert: he’s more invested than you’d initially think).
“He’s definitely the mastermind, and I like the design aspect of it,” Brooke says. “He always says that I send him a Pinterest board and my inspo, and then he just makes it happen.”
It started, like most DIY projects do, during COVID.
During their time as graduate students at the University of Alabama, Brooke, then a volleyball player, and Landon, a transfer from Florida State’s football program, suddenly found themselves spending a lot more time together.
“We were in our house 24/7 and it was driving us crazy,” Brooke explains. “So we redid a bedroom, and Landon built me a bed frame and tables from scratch for our anniversary.”
The Instagram account itself grew out of a desire for Brooke to share the couple’s “hilarious” interactions they had together when they would do their DIY projects. In all, Brooke estimates, they’ve done over five projects in the house, including two small bathrooms and the stairs.
Brooke Dickerson
“Landon grew up with a family that was very hands-on with things, so he learned a lot from his grandpa, from his dad, and then he just transferred a lot of those skills to me,” she says. “He’s still teaching me things.”
“He’ll just hop on YouTube, look at a video, and then is able to do it,” she says of Landon’s uncanny ability to take her visions and bring them to life.
The pair first met back when they were in undergrad at Florida State University, while she was playing beach volleyball and he, of course, football.
“I joke and say that he started stalking me and came to all of my volleyball games,” she says.
After graduation, Landon entered the transfer portal, ending up at Alabama, and, while on the visit, Brooke was able to meet the athletic director and the chairman of the management school for the MBA program. Though she wasn’t initially planning on going to Alabama with him, she was also able to secure a scholarship through the MBA program by playing indoor volleyball.
“At Florida State, we were both in a similar situation because we both did play sports, so we were both busy all of the time, and I think that gave us a similar respect for each other,” Brooke explains of navigating their relationship at the time. The two would see each other in the training room and the gym while working out for their respective sports.
“What was really cool is we did each have our own lives too, and we respected that,” she says.
And, their transition into the NFL was smooth, as a result, Brooke says.
“Since I was an athlete, I understood the time commitment that he had to put into his body, and this was now his job,” she explains.
Landon signed a four-year contract with the Eagles after being selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, meaning that the couple was able to put down roots — in a way that isn’t often common for families of athletes playing at that high a level.
“I think the biggest change for us was the weather in Philadelphia,” Brooke laughs. “I’m from Florida, he’s from North Carolina. It stays cold here until June, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’”
Despite the weather, Brooke also made sure to carve out her own path in Philadelphia, saying that when she first moved to the city, she had wanted to build her own community. She took a job working at Anthropologie and worked there for a year before moving on to more freelance and social work.
Despite the solid foundation that the pair had built dating throughout high school and college, the extended pressures of the NFL still managed to take a toll.
“Their scheduling is very grueling, and I was working, which is also a grueling schedule, and then we would have family come and visit over the weekend or I would want to travel to his game,” she says. “Managing all of that was a little stressful in the beginning because I’m a perfectionist.”
Learning to relinquish some of that control and lean on others for help is what ultimately helped Brooke get out of that rut.
Brooke Dickerson
“Trying to do it all on my own and that was what was driving me crazy,” she says.
While there are negative connotations that come with the term WAG, which stands for “wife and girlfriend” and is often used to refer to the significant other of a professional athlete, Brooke says that the community she has found amongst her fellow WAGs has been one of the best parts of moving to the team.
“If you would’ve asked me five years ago, I probably would’ve said, I don’t like the term,” she says.
“Now that I’m in the world and I know the people, maybe that shouldn’t be a term that we use because it does have negative connotations behind it,” she says, reconsidering. “A lot of the girls have great careers, are doing a lot of things for themselves while also supporting their man in a very grueling industry. All the girls in this organization are bad asses because, to be able to do both, not a lot of people can do it.”
The other women of the Eagles have become a huge support system for Dickerson over the years.
“I leaned on the girls a lot, which was helpful,” she says. “There were some girls that had been here a lot longer than we have. Learning from what they’ve done in the past has helped me.”
Brooke recalls being nervous before she and Landon joined the Eagles, particularly about meeting the other significant others. She attended the Eagles’ open practices, taking time to meet other members of the team and their spouses. She remembers meeting Annie Elliot, wife of Jake Elliot, and Nikki Mailata, wife of Jordan Mailata.
Now, Brooke shares, the group plans events together, like brunches and even a book club (which she’ll host next).
For Brooke, saying yes to everything that the organization has to offer is key to being able to enjoy it. It’s the advice she’d give to younger players and their families who are just joining the NFL.
“I just find a lot of the girls and guys that we’ve met and been around inspiring,” she says. “They’re starting their own foundations, they’re starting their own companies, they’re leaning into social media. There’s a lot of business opportunity too when you’re in this space and not everyone capitalizes on it, but a lot of people can.”
In a similar vein, Brooke and Landon have expanded their home projects beyond just their first Philly house. Recently, the couple bought a townhouse in South Philadelphia — just a few minutes from Lincoln Financial Field — with the goal of creating a comfortable place to bring together family and friends before and after the game.
“After the game, we wait for him with all of our family and then we will just go back to the house and order something to eat,” she says. “It’s pretty chill.
The new townhouse, she says, will give her the opportunity to host more for both her family and fellow WAGs.
“I love to host, but I always feel bad hosting things. Our house in Westchester is so far away from where a lot of people live,” she says. “I think I’m going to do the book club next month, so I’ll have people over there.”
She’s not going whole hog on the Eagles decor, though, despite her obvious love of the team.
“My bookcase is green, so this is probably the extent that I’ll go,” she laughs. “I did get this really cool candle melter thing that is an Eagles helmet, so I’ll probably put that. We’re doing our basement right now and we’re putting all of his helmets and jerseys up and stuff like that.”
While weekends are often spent in the energy of the Eagles fans, Brooke says that the real look of game days for her might surprise outsiders.
“A lot of people think we get unlimited free tickets, but we only get two comps and then we have to purchase the rest,” she explains. “Another thing is Landon does have to stay at the hotel the night before the game because he doesn’t come home.”
“We are big family people,” Brooke also shares. “They come on a Friday and leave on a Monday and they probably see Landon for a couple hours. Friday he is gone most of the day. Saturday he’s gone, Sunday he’s gone, and then after the game he’s tired. So I think that aspect is a little surprising to people too.”
However, her best advice for families just arriving in the league? Say yes.
“Say yes to everything in the beginning and go with your significant other to everything,” she says. “It… helped immerse me in the culture, the organization.” And when the calendar gets crowded, accept help: “They’re only in the league for, you never know how long… trying just to make the most of it when you can.”
Even with the NFL’s uncertainty, the Dickersons seem certain about where they are. A preseason practice injury this past year helped to put things into perspective for Brooke, she says.
“I think I know who he is and he always bounces back,” she says. “It’s just making sure that you’re doing everything you can now and capitalizing on everything that you’re given to set yourself up. If something does happen quickly or he can’t play anymore, we have set ourselves up to where we will be okay after football or we’ll have something to do or a passion after football.”
