Tom Brady At 35

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Aug 5, 2012

Tom Brady At 35

Tom Brady and Family

On Friday, Tom Brady celebrated his 35th birthday. The Patriots quarterback, who was drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, has developed into one of the top players in NFL history. As Brady celebrates his big day -- likely with a practice at Patriots camp in Foxboro -- SI looks back at the life of the three-time Super Bowl champion. Brady was born in San Mateo, Calif., just outside San Francisco. A die-hard 49ers fan, Brady was a fixture at Candlestick Park and even attended the famous 1981 NFC Championship game where Joe Montana completed "The Catch" to Dwight Clark. In this photo, Brady poses with his parents (Galynn and Tom Sr.) and three older sisters, Maureen, Julie, and Nancy.

Tom and Galynn Brady

Brady, age 13, poses with his mother Galynn.

Tom Brady

Brady attended Junipero Serra High, an all-boys Catholic school in San Mateo that was the alma mater of Barry Bonds and Lynn Swann. While at Junipero, Brady threw for 3,702 yards and 31 touchdowns, while also playing catcher on the baseball squad. Although he was drafted in the 18th round by the Montreal Expos coming out of high school, Brady decided to take his football talents to Ann Arbor, Mich.

Tom and Nancy Brady

Tom Brady poses with his sister Nancy after Michigan won the 1997 national championship.

Tom Brady

Brady struggled for playing time at Michigan. He redshirted his freshman year and played sparingly the next two seasons before breaking through his junior year with 2,636 passing yards and 15 touchdowns.

Tom Brady

Brady and his teammates spend an afternoon with underprivileged children before the start of the 1998 season.

Drew Henson, Jason Kapsner and Tom Brady

Despite his success as a junior, he was not handed the job for his senior season and split time with Drew Henson (No. 7) before eventually winning back his position.

Tom Brady

NFL scouts had differing opinions on Brady (seen here during the East-West Shrine Classic). Though he was accurate and possessed a high football IQ, he didn't run well and threw a poor deep ball. Eventually, New England coach Bill Belichick selected Brady with the 199th overall pick in the 2000 Draft.

Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady

Brady threw one pass his rookie season and spent most of the year watching starter Drew Bledsoe oversee a 5-11 record. In 2001, Brady got his chance in the team's second game, when a hit by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis caused Bledsoe to shear a blood vessel in his chest.

Tom Brady

Brady quickly captured the admiration of Patriots fans, engineering a 6-3 start while Bledsoe recovered from injury.

Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe

Bledsoe provided guidance for Brady while he recovered from injury. A potential quarterback contoversy was eliminated when Belichick announced Brady would remain the team's starter despite Bledsoe being healthy enough to play.

Lawyer Milloy, Tom Brady and Ted Bruschi

After bringing the first Super Bowl title to New England, the Patriots were the toast of the town. In this photo, Lawyer Milloy, Tom Brady and Ted Bruschi throw out the first pitch of the 2002 Boston Red Sox season.

Tom Brady

Brady was soon a superstar off the field and appeared in various commercials and photo shoots.

Tom Brady

Brady also gave his time to charities and other worthy causes, such as this ad for breast cancer awareness.

Tom Brady and Miss USA contestants

Brady is all smiles while judging the Miss USA Contest.

Tom Brady

Brady made sure he wasn't a one-hit wonder, leading the Patriots to 17 straight victories in 2003 and a second Super Bowl. After New England's 32-29 championship victory over Carolina, Brady visited Disney World.

Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan

Brady was also scoring off the field, dating actress Bridget Moynahan from 2004 to late 2006. The couple had a child, John Edward Thomas Moynahan, born on Aug. 22, 2007.

Galynn Brady, Tom Brady and Tom Brady Sr.

After leading the Patriots to a second straight Super Bowl and third in four years, Brady was honored by Sports Illustrated as Sportsman of the Year. In this photo, he poses with his parents, Tom and Galynn.

Donovan McNabb, Tom Brady and Barack Obama

Brady and fellow Super Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb attend the White House Correspondents dinner, where they got to meet U.S. Senator and future president Barack Obama.

The Simpsons

An animated Brady watches the Super Bowl with Springfield's first family.

Tom Brady and Alex Rodriguez

Though he's a sworn enemy of the Red Sox, Alex Rodriguez cozies up to Tom Brady for a photo during Maxim Magazine's Super Bowl XLI party.

Tom Brady and Randy Moss

By 2007, Brady was still among the NFL's top quarterbacks, but the Patriots were no longer the league's best team. Belichick restocked in 2007 and brought in explosive receiver Randy Moss. He and Brady connected instantly as Brady threw for an NFL-record 50 touchdowns in a 16-0 regular season.

Jay-Z and Tom

Brady attends a party at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in New York City.

Mike Vrabel, Matt Light, Dan Koppen, Randy Moss, Tom Brady, Logan Mankins, Vince Wilfork and Asante Samuel

After breezing through the playoffs, New England had a date with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Unfortunately, the quest for a perfect season went unfulfilled as the underdog Giants defeated the Patriots 17-14.

Tom Brady

Despite the Super Bowl loss to a New York team, Brady found himself spending more time in Manhattan, where he could blend in better. He still attracted attention wherever he went.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen

In 2009, Brady married model Gisele Bundchen. The couple -- pictured here at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City -- had a son named Benjamin in December 2009.

Tom Brady and Katie Mead

Brady is an advocate of the Best Buddies Program. In this photo, he enjoys a ride with his "best buddy," Katie Mead in Boston.

Tom Brady and Joe Bryant

Brady sits next to and Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, father of Kobe, during last year's NBA Finals.

Tom Brady and Mark Sanchez

Brady and Mark Sanchez walk off the field after the Jets defeated the Patriots 28-21 in their 2011 AFC divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium.

Tom Brady

Fashion trendsetter Tom Brady hides his golden locks under a hat while attending the 137th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Tom Brady and Family

Brady, his son Jack and niece Jordan meet Rapunzel and Flynn Rider of Disney's animated film Tangled while celebrating Jordan's fifth birthday at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.

Tom Brady and Chad Ochocinco

Brady and Chad Ochocinco talk strategy during training camp in July 2011. Ochocinco struggled with the Patriots, catching just 15 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown.