Icons: Tom Brady

Tom Brady And His Unmatched Legacy

Photo of Tom Brady, (courtesy of SportingNews.com).

Photo of Tom Brady, (courtesy of SportingNews.com).

Sean Nickol, Staff Writer

Tom Brady was born on August 3, 1977, in San Mateo, California. Brady excelled at football and baseball at Junipero Serra High School. After graduating in 1995, he declined his career in baseball to go on to the University of Michigan to play football. Brady did not play much his first two seasons at Michigan, sitting behind starting QB Brian Griese. That was until Brady took the starting role as Griese went to the NFL.

Brady as the starting QB at Michigan threw for 350 passing attempts and 214 completions for a 61% passing completion. Brady also threw for 2,636 passing yards and 15 TD’s in his first season. In his final season, he had 295 attempts for 180 completions of 61%. He also threw 2217 yards for 16 TD’s. At Michigan, Brady went 20-5 as a starter, winning an Orange Bowl game against Alabama. 

Photo: 12up.com

Brady went from a little kid at Michigan to a Super Bowl champion in a matter of time. He sat his first season behind former Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe, however Brady would take over for Bledsoe once he went down with an injury. In Brady’s first professional season, the Patriots went 11-3. Brady would proceed to take his team to the Super Bowl defeating the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl 36.

The now Brady-era dominated the 2000’s, defeating the Carolina Panthers in 2003’s Super Bowl 38. Brady and the Patriots proceeded to go on two years later to defeat the Donovan McNabb led Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 39. 

Photo: GiantsWire.USAToday.com

In 2007, the Patriots went 16-0, losing in 42 Super Bowl to Eli Manning and the New York Giants. Brady in the Super Bowl four years later faced the New York Giants again, which also was led by Eli Manning and produced the same result of the Giants defeating the Patriots.

In 2008, Brady was sidelined an entire season with a knee injury. He had several surgeries and went through rehab to be out the entire 2008 season. Many thought the injury was career ending worthy, but Brady proved them wrong by signing a new 4 year contract with the team.

Photo: IndyStar.com

Two years prior of Brady getting drafted, his long time rival Peyton Manning entered the NFL, getting drafted #1 overall by the Indianapolis Colts. In week two of the 2001 season, the rivalry began. It marked Brady’s first game against Peyton Manning’s Colts. Brady’s Patriots won 44-13. Since their first game, the two rivals have played 17 times, Brady leading the rivalry 11-6 against Manning.

The two always found a way to meet, even when Manning left the Colts for the Denver Broncos in 2012. The two have played every season except for in 2002, 2008, and 2011. The teams may have played each other in 2008 and 2011, but in each, one of two players were out for the game because of injuries. This would happen again in 2015 when Manning couldn’t play because of plantar fasciitis injury. However, they would meet later that season in the AFC Championship game, in which Manning won 20-18. Manning getting the last laugh, would retire after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50. 

Brady leading the series overall, Manning holds the lead in the playoffs with a record of 3-2. Four out of five of those playoff games would happen to be in the AFC Championship game. Brady, after beating Manning in the playoffs, is 2-0 in the Super Bowl. Patriots winning in 2003 and 2004. Manning is 2-1 in the Super Bowl after beating Brady, winning in 2006 with the Colts against the Chicago Bears and again in 2015 with the Broncos against the Carolina Panthers. However in 2013, the Broncos would lose to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8. 

Brady, at age 42, has a 20 year career of greatness, dominating the 2010’s. Brady was drafted 199th overall in the sixth round by the Patriots in 2000. Brady has accomplishments of three NFL MVP awards, having four Super Bowl MVP awards as well. The New England Patriots’ star QB is the only QB in NFL history to get six rings, tying the Steelers franchise with the most Super Bowl wins.

Photo: Chicago Tribune

Brady in his career faced some trouble, in 2015 there was a deflation problem of the footballs in 2015’s AFC Championship game between the Colts and Patriots. The incident was named “deflategate.” Brady, after the investigation into the matter,  would be suspended by the league. The suspension was for Brady knowing about the deflation in the footballs. After being suspended for four games, Brady led the Patriots to Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons. Super Bowl 51 would make history as the Patriots would make a 25 point comeback in the second half of the game, being the first Super Bowl to go into overtime.

The Patriots, after their win over the Falcons, went to the Super Bowl three years in a row. In 2018, the Patriots represented the AFC against the NFC’s Philadelphia Eagles. The game was a rematch of Super Bowl 39, in which the Patriots won 24-14. The Eagles won 41-33 over the Patriots in their rematch. In 2019, the Patriots won their 6th Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams, a rematch of Super Bowl 36.

The future first ballot hall of famer now faces talks of retirement after 20 years of a dynasty with the Patriots. In 2009, Brady got married to model Gisele Bündchen. However, before Brady got married to Bündchen, his son John Moynahan was born in 2007. Bündchen and Brady had their other children not that long after their marriage, their son Benjamin Brady being born in 2009. His daughter, Vivian Brady, would later be born in 2012. 

Photo: New England Patriots

Brady said the rumors of him retiring anytime soon after his 2020 wild card loss to the Tennessee Titans is, “Unlikely. Hopefully unlikely.” The aging QB has broken many records in his career, but hopes to break one career passing touchdowns record, currently held by New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees with 547 passing touchdowns. Brady stands in second place with 541 passing touchdowns, tweeting Brees to congratulate him on braking Peyton Manning’s old record of 539 passing TD’s. Brady tweeted, “Congrats drew!! Couldn’t be more deserving. Passing Peyton in anything is an incredible achievement and your records will be tough to beat! But it’s worth trying ?”

From 3 back to back Super Bowls in the past five years, to coming back from 25 points down in the biggest game of the season, Brady will go down in history as one of the best to ever lace up a pair of football cleats. Brady just isn’t one of the best in football, he’s one of the best in professional sports in general, up there with Babe Ruth in the MLB, and Michael Jordan in the NBA, who are both GOAT’s of their sports respectively according to SIKids.com