12 Facts You Didn’t Know About Tom Brady

After much speculation, NFL Quarterback Tom Brady announced on March 17th, 2020, that he would not resign with The New England Patriots (the team he played his first 20 NFL Seasons with and won six Super Bowl titles with) for the 2020 NFL Season. Three days later, he signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Tom Brady’s signing with The Buccaneers makes him one of several iconic athletes to have left their signature teams and join a new team towards the end of their storied careers. 

Off the football field, fans know that Tom Brady was born and raised in Northern California and played college football at the University of Michigan. He’s also married to Supermodel Gisele Bündchen and has three children (one with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan and two with Bündchen).

With his departure from The England Patriots, here are 12 Facts You Didn’t Know About Tom Brady, The New Quarterback for The Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 

1. He Could Have Been an MLB Player:

It turns out football wasn’t the only sport that Tom Brady was drafted to play professionally. Brady was also a talented baseball player (he was a catcher) in high school and was drafted in the 18th Round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the now-defunct Montreal Expos (the team relocated to Washington D.C. after the 2004 MLB Season and now known as The Washington Nationals). Several MLB Scouts believed that Brady could have been an MLB All-Star had he chosen baseball over football. 

2. His Nickname in Brazil:

Around the world, Tom Brady is known for being the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL and is the player with the most Super Bowl Rings ever with six. However, in Brazil, the country where his wife Gisele Bündchen is from, he’s only known as “Gisele’s Husband”. Brady himself has poked fun of his nickname in Brazil with this post on his Instagram story earlier this year (see the screenshot below). 

3. His High School Is Also The Alma Matter of Several Other Famous Athletes:

Tom Brady attended high school at Junípero Serra High School, a private Catholic all-boys school, in San Matteo. Besides Brady, Junípero Serra is also the alma matter of several other famous athletes. Notable other athletes who attended Junípero Serra include former and/or current NFL Players such as Lynn Swann, David Bakhtiari, and Matt Dickerson; former and/or current MLB Players such as Barry Bonds, Jim Fregosi, and Gregg Jeffries; and Olympic Gold Medal Winning Swimmer Tom McBreen. The photo below is of Tom Brady and Barry Bonds at the Kentucky Derby in 2010. 

4. The Reason Why He Cried At The 1981 NFC Championship Game:

We all know that Tom Brady, a Northern California native, grew up as a San Francisco 49ers fan and idolized Joe Montana. Growing up, Brady attended many 49ers Games and when he was four years old, he attended the 1981 NFC Championship Game, where Montana threw The Catch to Dwight Clark. 

At the 1981 NFC Championship Game, a then four-year-old Tom Brady cried throughout the first half of the game because he wanted a foam finger. The crying stopped after Brady’s father, Tom Sr. bought his son a foam finger for the second half. The photo below is of Brady and his mother Galynn at the game.

5. He Competed Against Pat Burrell In Both Football and Baseball In High School:

One of Junípero Serra’s primary rivals in sports was Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose. When Brady was playing high school football and baseball, he competed against future two-time World Series Champion Pat Burrell (see the photo below) in both sports. 

6. He Has The Same Birthday As His Older Sister Julie:

We all know that Tom Brady is the youngest of four children and has three older sisters: Nancy, Julie, and Maureen. He and Julie have the same birthday: August 3rd, but are three years apart. 

7. His Nap Before His First Super Bowl:

So far in his career, Tom Brady has played in nine Super Bowls, winning six of them. Since every aspect of the Super Bowl is longer than it usually is compared to regular season/playoff games, Brady spent 20-30 minutes of his extended pregame time for his first Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002) by taking a nap.

By the time he woke up, it was almost time for the kickoff. Brady managed to change and put his pads back on 12 minutes before the team ran onto the field. 

8. Don Yee, His Sports Agent, Is Also The Sports Agent of Another NFL Head Coach and Two of Brady’s Former Teammates:

Don Yee has been Tom Brady’s sports agent since he was drafted in the 2000 NFL Draft. What many die-hard football fans don’t know is that Yee represents another NFL Head Coach and two of Brady’s former New England Patriots Teammates as well. 

Sean Payton, who has been the head coach of the New Orleans Saints since 2006, is one of Yee’s clients. Besides being Tom Brady’s agent, Yee is also the agent of two of Brady’s former teammates: wide receiver Julian Edelman (#11 and on the right) and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (#10 and in the center). Edelman is still with The Patriots. After spending the first four years of his NFL Career (and winning two Super Bowls) as Brady’s backup, Garoppolo was traded to the San Fransisco 49ers in October 2017 and lead the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV this past February, which they lost 31-20 to The Kansas City Chiefs. Despite all three players no longer being on the same team, Brady, Edelman, and Garoppolo remain close friends to this very day. 

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9. He won a National Championship Title While At Michigan:

Brady was a member of the University of Michigan Football Team from 1995-99. The 1997 Michigan Wolverines Football Team finished the college football season with an undefeated record, a victory over Washington State at the 1998 Rose Bowl, and were declared National Champions by the Associated Press and many other polls.

Despite being on the roster of Wolverine’s National Championship Team, Brady didn’t start any games in the 1997 College Football Season. As a backup to teammate and future NFL Quarterback Brian Griese, Brady only played in four games that year. 

10. He Did an Internship With Merrill Lynch:

During the summers of 1998 and 1999, Brady was an intern at Merrill Lynch.

11. Kevin Youkilis is His Brother-In-Law:

We all know that Tom Brady is the youngest of four children and has three older sisters. However, did you know that Brady has a famous brother-in-law too? 

Tom Brady and retired MLB Player Kevin Youkilis became brothers-in-law in 2012 after the latter married Julie Brady, one of the former’s older sisters. Youkilis is also another sports legend in the city of Boston as he spent the majority of his MLB Career with the Boston Red Sox and won two World Series Titles (2004 and 2007) with the team. 

12. Why He Hates Strawberries:

In an interview with The Cut, Brady revealed he’s never eaten a strawberry and had no desire to even try one. During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2018, the NFL Quarterback tasted a strawberry for the first time (see the video below).

After his appearance on The Late Show, Brady revealed the reason behind his hatred of strawberries on NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me:

“When I – see, I grew up in California. And I had an aunt that lived in Central California. And when she’d drive to see us, she would stop at the fruit stands on the side of the road, and she’d get these big trays of strawberries. And she’d bring them up to our house, and she would put them into our refrigerator. And every time the refrigerator door was opened, the smell of strawberries would permeate the room. And I could not stand it. And since then, I’ve never eaten a strawberry. The thought of a strawberry is just – is … terrible for me. And the fact that I actually did it the other night – I couldn’t believe it, either, so that’s what made it most surprising for me.”

Which of the facts about Tom Brady listed above were you surprised to hear the most? Be sure to let us know which one(s) down below in the comments section!

Featured Image Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/sports/football/tom-brady-signed-tampa-bay.html