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The former coaching great [[Bill Walsh]], for whom Montana played, told Nick Cafardo for the Boston Globe (January 21, 2004), "What strikes you about Brady is the serenity in which he plays the game. That might sound silly, but when you see a great quarterback, there's a calmness and a coolness he has on the field, a fluidity to his game--smoothness, if you will--that sticks out. . . . Watch how effortless his delivery is. He's one of the most natural passers I've ever seen. . . . The other thing is, he makes great decisions on the field." The Patriots coach [[Bill Belicheck]] told Jeff Goodman for the Washington Post (January 16, 2004, on-line), "One thing about Tom is he's smart, he prepares very hard and is resilient. Pressure doesn't really bother him. He is pretty much unaffected by the score or the situation, the field position, the crowd noise, what happened the play before, all of those things." With such qualities, in addition to his good looks, strong work ethic, and humble attitude, Brady has emerged as one of the brightest stars of the NFL.

The former coaching great [[Bill Walsh]], for whom Montana played, told Nick Cafardo for the Boston Globe (January 21, 2004), "What strikes you about Brady is the serenity in which he plays the game. That might sound silly, but when you see a great quarterback, there's a calmness and a coolness he has on the field, a fluidity to his game--smoothness, if you will--that sticks out. . . . Watch how effortless his delivery is. He's one of the most natural passers I've ever seen. . . . The other thing is, he makes great decisions on the field." The Patriots coach [[Bill Belicheck]] told Jeff Goodman for the Washington Post (January 16, 2004, on-line), "One thing about Tom is he's smart, he prepares very hard and is resilient. Pressure doesn't really bother him. He is pretty much unaffected by the score or the situation, the field position, the crowd noise, what happened the play before, all of those things." With such qualities, in addition to his good looks, strong work ethic, and humble attitude, Brady has emerged as one of the brightest stars of the NFL.

The youngest of the four children--and the only son--of Tom and Galynn Brady, Tom Brady was born in San Mateo, [[California]], on August 3, 1977. Describing what it was like for her brother to grow up around so many girls, Julie Brady, the second-oldest of Tom's three sisters, told Michael Silver for Sports Illustrated (April 15, 2002), "He didn't get much time in the bathroom . . . and my sister Nancy would grill the girls who called him." Brady was interested in athletics from a very young age. He has recalled being in attendance with his father at a 1981 NFL play-off game in [[San Francisco]]. The 49ers won that game with the help of a spectacular play in which Joe Montana threw a touchdown pass to Dwight Clark. Referring to that play, Brady told Jim Litke for an Associated Press article (January 25, 2004), "I think I was whining the whole half because [my father] wouldn't buy me one of those foam fingers [used by fans to cheer on their home team]. So I don't think I enjoyed much of the second half." He added that when Clark caught the pass in the end zone, "Everyone jumped up, I couldn't see anything, and I think I was crying the whole way home, not realizing that was probably the most significant play in San Francisco 49ers history."

The youngest of the four children--and the only son--of Tom and Galynn Brady, Tom Brady was born in San Mateo, [[California]], on August 3, 1977. Describing what it was like for her brother to grow up around so many girls, Julie Brady, the second-oldest of Tom's three sisters, told Michael Silver for Sports Illustrated (April 15, 2002), "He didn't get much time in the bathroom . . . and my sister Nancy would grill the girls who called him." Brady was interested in athletics from a very young age. He has recalled being in attendance with his father at a 1981 NFL play-off game in [[San Francisco]]. The 49ers won that game with the help of a spectacular play in which Joe Montana threw a touchdown pass to Dwight Clark. Referring to that play, Brady told Jim Litke for an Associated Press article (January 25, 2004), "I think I was whining the whole half because [my father] wouldn't buy me one of those foam fingers [used by fans to cheer on their home team]. So I don't think I enjoyed much of the second half." He added that when Clark caught the pass in the end zone, "Everyone jumped up, I couldn't see anything, and I think I was crying the whole way home, not realizing that was probably the most significant play in San Francisco 49ers history."

Brady attended Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, the same school attended by the NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver [[Lynn Swann]] and the baseball star [[Barry Bonds]]. Brady played on the school's [[baseball]] and [[football]] teams. As the football squad's starting quarterback, he completed 236 of 447 pass attempts--a 52.8 percent completion rate--and threw for 3,702 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was named the team's MVP and received All-State and All-Far West honors. In addition, Blue Chip Illustrated and Prep Football Report selected Brady as a high-school All-American.

Brady attended Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, the same school attended by the NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver [[Lynn Swann]] and the baseball star [[Barry Bonds]]. Brady played on the school's [[baseball]] and [[football]] teams. As the football squad's starting quarterback, he completed 236 of 447 pass attempts--a 52.8 percent completion rate--and threw for 3,702 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was named the team's MVP and received All-State and All-Far West honors. In addition, Blue Chip Illustrated and Prep Football Report selected Brady as a high-school All-American.

After graduating Brady was selected as a catcher by the Montreal Expos in the 18th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. His first love was football, however, and later in the year he enrolled at the [[University of Michigan]] to continue his career on the gridiron. At the university he majored in organizational studies and played for the Wolverines, the school football team. During his first two seasons, Brady mainly practiced with the team, learning the offensive system and studying the way the game was played at the college level, and appeared briefly in a total of six games. In his sophomore year he watched from the sidelines as the Wolverines' starting quarterback, [[Brian Griese]], led Michigan to the college football national championship. In 1998, his junior year and his first as the team's starting quarterback, Brady threw for 2,636 yards (the second-most in school history) and 15 touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his passes. He set school single-season records for pass attempts (350) and completions (214) and was named an All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention. (Along with the University of Michigan, the Big Ten Conference includes the state universities of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana, among others.) An excellent student, Brady was named an Academic All-Big Ten Pick. Though he shared the starting-quarterback spot at the beginning of the 1999 season, his senior year, with the highly touted newcomer [[Drew Henson]], Brady still managed to throw for 2,586 yards and 20 touchdowns while completing an outstanding 63 percent of his passes. (Brady has credited his fierce competition with Henson with helping to make him tougher mentally and inspiring him to improve as a player.) For that effort he received All-Big Ten Conference second-team honors. In the final game of his college career, Brady gave a superlative performance (369 yards passing and four touchdowns), leading the Wolverines to victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Orange Bowl. Brady's career record as the starting quarterback at Michigan was an impressive 20-5. He ranks third in school history in pass attempts (710) and completions (442); fourth in passing yards (5,351) and completion percentage (62.3); and fifth in touchdown passes (35).

 

After graduating Brady was selected as a catcher by the Montreal Expos in the 18th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. His first love was football, however, and later in the year he enrolled at the [[University of Michigan]] to continue his career on the gridiron. At the university he majored in organizational studies and played for the Wolverines, the school football team. During his first two seasons, Brady mainly practiced with the team, learning the offensive system and studying the way the game was played at the college level, and appeared briefly in a total of six games. In his sophomore year he watched from the sidelines as the Wolverines' starting quarterback, [[Brian Griese]], led Michigan to the college football national championship. In 1998, his junior year and his first as the team's starting quarterback, Brady threw for 2,636 yards (the second-most in school history) and 15 touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his passes. He set school single-season records for pass attempts (350) and completions (214) and was named an All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention. (Along with the University of Michigan, the Big Ten Conference includes the state universities of [[Iowa]], [[Illinois]], [[Wisconsin]], and [[Indiana]], among others.) An excellent student, Brady was named an Academic All-Big Ten Pick. Though he shared the starting-quarterback spot at the beginning of the 1999 season, his senior year, with the highly touted newcomer [[Drew Henson]], Brady still managed to throw for 2,586 yards and 20 touchdowns while completing an outstanding 63 percent of his passes. (Brady has credited his fierce competition with Henson with helping to make him tougher mentally and inspiring him to improve as a player.) For that effort he received All-Big Ten Conference second-team honors. In the final game of his college career, Brady gave a superlative performance (369 yards passing and four touchdowns), leading the Wolverines to victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Orange Bowl. Brady's career record as the starting quarterback at Michigan was an impressive 20-5. He ranks third in school history in pass attempts (710) and completions (442); fourth in passing yards (5,351) and completion percentage (62.3); and fifth in touchdown passes (35).

 

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Brady was chosen in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft by the [[New England Patriots]]; he was the 199th player chosen overall. Brady told Michael Silver that he had been "heartbroken" by not being chosen until the sixth round. In light of the success he has had in the NFL, some football analysts and observers have since questioned why Brady was chosen so late in the draft. On the other hand, the former New York Giants quarterback and current CBS analyst Phil Simms told Mark Maske for the Washington Post (January 28, 2004) that coming out of college, Brady "was not strong. He couldn't run. His arm was good, but there were a lot of questions there." Teams looking to draft players, he added, "have to go with the tangible." Another reason for his being passed over by many teams was that Brady had been given serious competition for the quarterback spot at Michigan by Henson, who at times appeared to be the more athletically gifted player.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Brady was chosen in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft by the [[New England Patriots]]; he was the 199th player chosen overall. Brady told Michael Silver that he had been "heartbroken" by not being chosen until the sixth round. In light of the success he has had in the NFL, some football analysts and observers have since questioned why Brady was chosen so late in the draft. On the other hand, the former New York Giants quarterback and current CBS analyst Phil Simms told Mark Maske for the Washington Post (January 28, 2004) that coming out of college, Brady "was not strong. He couldn't run. His arm was good, but there were a lot of questions there." Teams looking to draft players, he added, "have to go with the tangible." Another reason for his being passed over by many teams was that Brady had been given serious competition for the quarterback spot at Michigan by Henson, who at times appeared to be the more athletically gifted player.

In Super Bowl XXXVIII the Patriots again bested their opponents in a closely contested game, defeating the [[Carolina Panthers]], 32-29, on another last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Brady had played another superb game, completing 32 of 48 pass attempts, two of them resulting in touchdowns, for 354 yards. He had also made history again, this time as the youngest quarterback to win two Super Bowls, joining the rarefied company of quarterbacks who have won more than one NFL championship--a list that includes Joe Montana, [[Bart Starr]], [[Terry Bradshaw]], [[Troy Aikman]], [[John Elway]], and [[Roger Staubach]], all of whom are either in the [[NFL Hall of Fame]] or among the strongest candidates for induction. Brady's career record in December and January, when the most crucial contests are waged, is an outstanding 17-2. With Brady leading them, the Patriots have made more than a dozen fourth-quarter comebacks, are 15-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer and 7-0 in overtime games, and have never lost a play-off game--all of which points to Brady's ability to perform at his best when the stakes are highest. In October 2004 the Patriots celebrated their 20th consecutive victory, an NFL record. With a 5-0 record for the 2004 season as of the end of that month, the team also broke the league record of 17 straight regular-season wins, set in 1933-34 by the Chicago Bears.

In Super Bowl XXXVIII the Patriots again bested their opponents in a closely contested game, defeating the [[Carolina Panthers]], 32-29, on another last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Brady had played another superb game, completing 32 of 48 pass attempts, two of them resulting in touchdowns, for 354 yards. He had also made history again, this time as the youngest quarterback to win two Super Bowls, joining the rarefied company of quarterbacks who have won more than one NFL championship--a list that includes Joe Montana, [[Bart Starr]], [[Terry Bradshaw]], [[Troy Aikman]], [[John Elway]], and [[Roger Staubach]], all of whom are either in the [[NFL Hall of Fame]] or among the strongest candidates for induction. Brady's career record in December and January, when the most crucial contests are waged, is an outstanding 17-2. With Brady leading them, the Patriots have made more than a dozen fourth-quarter comebacks, are 15-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer and 7-0 in overtime games, and have never lost a play-off game--all of which points to Brady's ability to perform at his best when the stakes are highest. In October 2004 the Patriots celebrated their 20th consecutive victory, an NFL record. With a 5-0 record for the 2004 season as of the end of that month, the team also broke the league record of 17 straight regular-season wins, set in 1933-34 by the Chicago Bears.

Brady enjoys playing golf and is rumored to be an Internet addict. He had a speaking part in the Farrelly brothers' movie Stuck on You (2003). Several weeks before the Patriots' Super Bowl victory in February 2004, Brady attended President [[George W. Bush]]'s State of the Union address at the president's invitation. Over the years he has been linked romantically to a number of women, including the actress Tara Reid and actress Bridget Moynahan.

Brady enjoys playing golf and is rumored to be an Internet addict. He had a speaking part in the Farrelly brothers' movie Stuck on You (2003). Several weeks before the Patriots' Super Bowl victory in February 2004, Brady attended President [[George W. Bush]]'s State of the Union address at the president's invitation. Over the years he has been linked romantically to a number of women, including the actress Tara Reid and actress Bridget Moynahan.