Life of a Legend

Tom Brady, dressed in his full gray football uniform has his arm arched back to throw the football he is holding. His jersey has a white number 12 with a red outline.

Tom Brady, the staple of football. The legend holds the all-time record for the most Super Bowls won, with a shocking seven wins. He holds seven rings from the years 2002, 2004, 2015, 2017, 2019, and finally 2021. But Brady didn’t end there; he also holds the title for the youngest quarterback in the history of the NFL. In that same year of 2002, he won his first Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. Brady stayed with the New England Patriots until 2019 when he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his time with the Patriots he was named the Super Bowl’s most valuable player (MVP) twice. This was all before Brady turned 30 years old.

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. was born on August 3, 1977, in San Mateo, California. Brady’s family were sports enthusiasts, and his older sisters paved his path into his love of sports. His sisters played baseball and basketball, and Brady loved to go and cheer. Because of this, Brady got his knack and love of sports. Brady began to love football at a young age. He played tag and touch football whenever possible. He claimed that one of his oldest memories was going to a San Francisco 49ers game. Brady loved the 49ers, specifically the quarterback position. The 49ers quarterback at the time was Joe Montana, Brady said that he was his idol and would look up to him for inspiration. Brady’s first note of organized football was during his freshman year at San Mateo’s Junipero High School. He quickly rose to be a top player on the team. 

Brady graduated with fantastic stats and was quickly noticed by college scouts who threw him offers. Brady eventually made up his mind. Declining an offer to play professional baseball with the Montreal Expos, he signed with the University of Michigan to play football. In his junior year, Brady and the Wolverines won the 1999 Orange Bowl. After his success for Michigan, the soon-to-be legend was picked in the 6th round of the NFL draft by the New England Patriots. Once Brady started playing college football, is when he truly made a name for himself. As a Wolverine, he was determined for the seat of starting quarterback, comparing himself with other future NFL stars such as Brian Griese and Scott Driesbach. Brady was determined to be noticed by Michigan’s coach, Lloyd Carr. This determination paid off when Brady entered the Superbowl.

Brady won the first Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams but that was only the beginning. He returned to the Superbowl with a win against the Carolina Panthers, and the third win against Philadelphia Eagles. The fourth against the Seattle Seahawks, fifth against the Atlanta Falcons. Then again in 2019 a win against the Rams. and to finish his career off Tom Brady wins his 7th Super Bowl in 2021 with the Buccaneers against the chiefs.

Now in 2022, the legend has officially announced his retirement from the NFL. With seven Super Bowl rings on his hands, Brady has left the football scene to a shock from fans. He claims that “he wasn’t sure he could continue to give a 100% percent competitive commitment’”.  With Brady leaving after 22 seasons, a whole new discussion begins on who the next Brady will be. Who will take the stage after him? Only time will tell.