Thomas Edward Brady, Jr. (born August 3, 1977 in San Mateo, California) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
Due largely to his performance in the playoffs throughout his career, Brady is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of his era, and has won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX), two Super Bowl MVP awards (XXXVI and XXXVIII), and has been invited to four Pro Bowls. Brady was Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year in 2005, and was named to the AP All-Pro Team in 2005. He also helped set the record for the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history with 21 straight wins over two seasons
Brady played college football for and graduated from the University of Michigan. He was a backup his first two years, while his teammate and future NFL quarterback Brian Griese led the Wolverines to a national championship in 1997. When he enrolled at Michigan, Brady was seventh on the depth chart and had an intense struggle to get some playing time. At one point, Brady hired a sports psychologist to help him cope with frustration and anxiety and even considered transferring, frustrated by what seemed like a lack of opportunity. Brady battled for the first string quarterback position with Drew Henson and ultimately started every game in the 1998 and 1999 seasons under Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. During his first full year as starter, he set Michigan records for most pass attempts (350) and completions in a season (214). Brady was All-Big Ten (honorable mention) both seasons and team captain his senior year. The Wolverines won 20 of 25 games when he started and shared the Big Ten Conference title in 1998. Brady capped that season off with a win over Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl. In the 1999 season, Brady led Michigan to an overtime win in the Orange Bowl over Alabama, throwing for 369 yards and four touchdowns.