SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — Before Tom Brady was a household name, the future Hall-of-Famer started his football journey in the Bay Area.
Born Thomas (Tom) Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. on August 3, 1977, in San Mateo.
Growing up, Brady was a devout San Francisco 49er fan — as a young boy, he attended some legendary games at Candlestick Park throughout the 80s — and would idolize another NFL great quarterback in Joe Montana.
Bay Area roots
At Junipero Serra High School High School, Brady excelled in both football and baseball.
Brady’s two-year varsity career should have been an indicator to the world of what he was capable of doing.
He would place top-five in career, single-season, and single-game passing yards and career and single-season touchdowns.
As a senior, he passed for 2,121 yards and 20 touchdowns, according to the Junipero Serra record books.
In 1995, he was drafted by the Montreal Expos but decided to attend the University of Michigan and play football.
Brady’s social media post came as somewhat of a surprise to Mike Fadelli, who coached Brady in summer league Baseball at Serra High School.
“We’ve always expected that like when he wins a super bowl that he’s going to walk off on this grand stage, but to his credit he did it on his own terms,” Fadelli said.
From the Hall of Fame walls to the football stadium named after the Brady Family, Serra High School has a lot of pride in what Tom Brady has accomplished since graduating in 1995.
“Really fantastic to see his growth and the commitment to his sport and to his community,” Tom Sullivan, Brady’s English teacher, said.
Earning admiration from his former teachers and coaches, but also from current students who can look at number 12’s success story and see their own possibilities for the future.
“I think that makes him such a role model for the students here at Serra knowing that they can do the same thing if that’s what they desire,” Fadelli said.
University of Michigan
In Brady’s four years at Michigan, the Wolverines went 40-9, including a 20-5 record when Brady moved into the starting role in his junior and senior seasons.
As a starter, Brady threw for 4,644 yards and 30 touchdowns to 16 interceptions while completing over 61% of his passes.
Michigan went 10-3 in 1998 and 10-2 in 1999.
Illustrious NFL Career
The New England Patriots drafted Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft in the sixth round (199th overall).
He would take over the starter role after Drew Bledsoe got injured in a game in 2001 and led New England to the Super Bowl– winning another five with the Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady would only play once in the Bay Area in 2016 when the Patriots visited the 49ers.
New England would end up winning the game 30-17.
Over 22 NFL seasons, Brady played in 14 conference championships, winning 10 of them.
A three-time NFL MVP, first all-time in passing yards (84,520) and passing touchdowns (624), and in the top 10 all-time passer rating (97.6%).
In the end, the Bay Area native is on the NFL’s Mount Rushmore and undoubtedly the greatest player of all time, winning seven Super Bowl Championships, more than any other franchise.