On August 3, 1977, in San Mateo, CA, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. was born. To many football fans, especially those in New England, this birth ranks alongside the birth of Jesus. While Drew Bledsoe’s career died for their sins, Tom Brady gave them life after death… and six Lombardi Trophies.

Young Tom Brady

Growing up, Tom Brady was a San Francisco 49ers fan, attending many games with his father. Like many kids in the 1980s, he idolized 49ers quarterback Joe Montana. He was even in attendance when 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark made “The Catch” in the 1981 NFC Championship.

In high school, Brady starred in football, basketball, and baseball. Brady was the backup quarterback for his junior varsity team. After a 0-8 start, the starting signal caller got injured, and he took over under center. In his junior and senior seasons, he was the starting varsity quarterback and created highlight tapes to send to prospective colleges.

With colleges like the University of Michigan paying close attention to Brady the QB, his baseball talents were attracting eyes as well. The Montreal Expos drafted him in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft. Expos executives had high hopes for him as a left-handed-batting catcher, offering him a contract paying well above what an 18th-rounder was getting. Brady turned it down and chose to play football at the University of Michigan instead.

Wolverine

Tom Brady started his college football career as a redshirted freshman. His freshman and sophomore seasons, he served as a backup to Brian Griese, who led the Wolverines to an undefeated record and won the 1998 Rose Bowl and a share of the national championship.

Finally given a chance in his junior season, he competed with Drew Henson for the starting quarterback job. He ultimately won the position and set school records for passes thrown and completions. Michigan shared the Big 10 title with rival Ohio State. Brady finished the season with a victory over Arkansas in the 1999 Citrus Bowl. 

In Brady’s senior season, Henson was nipping at Brady’s heels. For the first seven games of the season, head coach Lloyd Carr alternated Brady and Henson at QB, with Brady usually winning the lion’s share of snaps. After Henson struggled against Michigan State, Brady took over and rallied a comeback before losing 34-31. He ultimately won the position outright and sent Henson to the sidelines to hold a clipboard.

Brady started the rest of the season. He had five consecutive 200-yard games to finish the season, while winning four straight. In his final collegiate game, he threw for 369 yards in the Wolverines’ overtime victory over Alabama in the 2000 Orange Bowl. Brady would declare himself eligible for the 2000 NFL Draft. 

Something to Prove

Tom Brady wasn’t highly touted by NFL teams following lackluster performances in the NFL Scouting Combine. His name wouldn’t be called until the sixth round of the draft by the New England Patriots. He was the seventh quarterback selected. Embarrassed, Brady was grateful to be chosen by the Patriots and played his entire career with something to prove. 

Brady started his rookie campaign as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. By season’s end, he was the backup to starter Drew Bledsoe. He threw just three passes in his rookie year, completing only one, for six yards to tight end Rod Rutledge, whose career accomplishment is being the answer to the trivia question, “Who caught Tom Brady’s first NFL completion?”

2001 started much like his rookie season ended. Bledsoe was the starter, and Brady was his backup. In their second game, against the New York Jets, Bledsoe got injured in the fourth quarter, and Brady’s number was called. The Pats lost the game 10-3. Brady led the Patriots to a 44-13 week three win over the Indianapolis Colts, putting New England in the win column for the first time of the season. He finished the year with 2,843 yards and 18 touchdowns and earned his first Pro Bowl invitation.

Tom Brady: A Champion

In Brady’s first playoff game, he threw for 312 yards in a controversial overtime victory over the Oakland Raiders, 16-13. Due to a debatable, game-changing call by officials, this game is often referred to as the “tuck rule” game. Brady would face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship, but left the game due to a knee injury. Bledsoe would finish the game, replacing Brady while leading the Pats to a 24-17 win and a trip to Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams.

Brady would return as the starter, and the Patriots’ defense would hold their own against the “Greatest Show on Turf.” With the game knotted at 17, Brady led his troops down the field to the Rams’ 31-yard line, where he spiked the ball to set up the game-winning 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri as the clock hit all zeroes. New England won the franchise’s first Super Bowl 20-17 with Brady being voted the game’s Most Valuable Player. 

In 2002, the defending champions started strong with a win over the Steelers in the season opener. Despite throwing 28 touchdowns, Brady struggled all season. He posted modest numbers with a career-low passing rating of 85.7 and tossed a career-high 14 interceptions. The team finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

The Patriots would win their second Super Bowl in 2003, defeating the Carolina Panthers 32-29. In 2004, Brady led New England to back-to-back Super Bowl wins. They grounded the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. They became the first team since the Dallas Cowboys to win three Super Bowls in four years.

Tom Brady Has Rough Patches Too

After a two-year absence, the Patriots would again reach the Super Bowl after an undefeated regular season. Tom Brady would win his first League MVP award. The Patriots faced the New York Giants with an unfamiliar result, losing 17-14, spoiling the perfect season.

New England’s string of bad luck would continue in 2008 after a hit to his left knee would sideline him for the season. The following year, he posted MVP-like numbers, winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. He would once again fall short of the Super Bowl after a Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Brady signed a new four-year, $72 million contract with New England in 2010. He became the highest-paid player in the league. That season, he displayed why he deserved such a hefty payday. He earned his second league MVP award, but despite earning the #1 seed in the playoffs, they were bounced by the Jets 28-21.

Brady had an outstanding statistical 2011 season, finishing with 5,235 passing yards. The Patriots met some familiar faces in the Super Bowl, a much-anticipated rematch against the Giants. Once again, Eli Manning and the Giants proved to have New England’s number and handed Brady the second Super Bowl loss of his career. 

The Patriots’ 2012 and 2013 seasons were moderately successful. However, their Super Bowl aspirations were again unsuccessful as they lost in the AFC Championship games for two straight seasons. During the 2014 season, more playoff controversy would emerge. During the AFC Championship against the Colts, it was reported that the game balls being used by New England were not properly inflated, giving them an unfair advantage. “Deflategate,” as it was called, was investigated by the NFL.

They would return to the big game and squeak out a 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, when Seattle’s Russell Wilson threw a late fourth-quarter interception in the end zone. Brady would win his fourth ring and his third Super Bowl MVP.

After the “Deflategate” investigation, it was decided by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that Brady would be suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season. Brady appealed the punishment, and a federal judge found enough evidence to overturn the suspension, allowing Brady to play in those games.

The 2015 season saw Brady throw 14 touchdowns through the first five games and 36 touchdowns on the season. After injuries to key players, they once again fell in the AFC Championship, losing to Peyton Manning and the eventual champions, the Denver Broncos.

The NFL appealed Brady’s overturned suspension, and another court of law upheld the NFL’s original decision, stating that Brady was aware of the improperly inflated footballs. Brady would agree to serve a four-game suspension for his involvement in the “Deflategate” scandal and sat out the first four games of the 2016 season.

Tom Brady Gets Back in the Saddle

Upon his return from suspension, he would become the fifth QB to record 60,000 career passing yards, joining Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Dan Marino, and Drew Brees. Tom Brady would finish the season by erasing a 28-3 halftime deficit to the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, forcing overtime. The Pats won the overtime coin toss, and Brady’s offense marched down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown. He would take home his fourth Super Bowl MVP.

At 40 years old, Tom Brady continued his dominance of the NFL, leading the league in passing yards with 4,577 yards in 2017, becoming the oldest player to do so. The Patriots would advance to face Philadelphia in the Super Bowl. Nick Foles and the Eagles soared to their first-ever Lombardi trophy, giving Brady his third Super Bowl loss.

Brady added to his legacy in his 19th NFL season. He became the first quarterback in history to win 200 regular-season games and became the fourth signal caller to reach 70,000 passing yards. Brady’s bid for another ring led him to a Super Bowl matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

Despite not throwing any touchdowns, Brady became the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl at 41, and the second player to win six Super Bowls. He later played his final game as a Patriot in a 2019 Wild Card playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans. His last pass at the helm of the Patriots was a pick-six to his former teammate, Titans cornerback Logan Ryan.

Tom Brady: Tampa Bay 12

After 20 seasons as a Patriot, Tom Brady jumped ship to Tampa. He signed a two-year, $50 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He led the Bucs to a 31-9 blowout win over the Chiefs to earn their second Super Bowl victory. He threw three touchdowns and took home another Super Bowl MVP award. 

A hobbled Brady announced that he had knee soreness following surgery. He finished his 2021 season with an NFL record 485 pass completions, a career-high 5,316 passing yards, 43 passing TDs, and 12 interceptions. He earned his 15th Pro Bowl selection. With an NFC Championship loss to the Rams, the Bucs fell short of returning to the Super Bowl. Later, Tom Brady would later announce his retirement from the NFL. 

A mere 40 days after retiring, Brady had a change of heart. He returned to the Bucs for the 2022 season. In week 9, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 100,000 career passing yards. For the first time in his career, he lost eight or more games in a single season. Following a playoff loss to the Cowboys, Tom Brady once again announced his retirement from football “for good.”

Tom Brady- More Than Just A Man

Many think he is just a man, but take a moment think about all he has done so far. For a man who has given fans so much to celebrate, on this day, we celebrate him, a man who is bigger than the game itself… The man who gave New Englanders a reason to live. May his birthday candles shine as bright as his seven Super Bowl rings. Happy birthday, to the greatest of all time, Tom Brady.