Tom Brady: Super Bowl Champion

Tom Brady: Super Bowl Champion — page 5 — TOM BRADY SUPER BOWL CHAMPION A Late Beginner Young Tom was a slow runner and early in high school he was a little overweight The combination of those things led him initially to play Though he found stardom in the National Football League Brady was first drafted by a professional baseball

Tom Brady: Super Bowl Champion — page 6 — An unlikely Football Star baseball instead of football His position in baseball was one often QUICK FACT given to players who cannot run very fast catcher As a child Tom Brady had a huge It was behind the plate that Tom collection of baseball cards first really blossomed as an athlete becoming a good enough catcher to eventually be drafted by a major League Baseball team the Montreal Expos Catchers help decide what pitches to throw the other team's batters and this experience of study ing the opposition and calling the plays would serve Tom well in the athletic role he really wanted quarterback in football Tom did not make the varsity football team until his junior year at Junipero Serra High School but once on the team he quickly became a starter He established himself as a team leader because of his knowl edge of the game as well as his commitment to putting in the effort it takes to get in top physical condition He also worked on the way he threw to get the most out of his talent The extra effort paid off By the end of his senior year in high school Tom was an All State quarterback He had also attracted the attention of several major colleges including Big Ten Conference power Michigan Fighting for Playing time When Tom Brady accepted a scholarship from Michigan he expected to continue the success he had enjoyed as a high school quarterback However big schools such as Michigan have more than one player for each position and each has to compete for playing time For Brady this process was a slow one and he did not play during his first year at Michigan The next year Brady was on the team but as a third string quarterback who saw limited playing time The year after that Brady was a backup again and began to grow impatient He complained

Tom Brady: Super Bowl Champion — page 7 — TOM BRADY SUPER BOWL CHAMPION Brady played college football for the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference IO

Tom Brady: Super Bowl Champion — page 8 — An unlikely Football Star to his coaches and threat ened to transfer to another school Then he was sidelined by appendicitis This medical condition an inflammation of the appen dix sidetracked his season but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise While recovering from emergency appen dix surgery Brady thought back to his high school career remember ing the importance of being a team player He decided to be a leader instead of a complainer With his attitude straightened out Brady was ready for the 1998 season and finally he became the starter He had a successful year completing The performance of Heisman Trophy 62 percent of his passes with winning quarterbacks after turning pro fourteen touchdowns and led the is a reminder that success in college team to a share of the Big Ten does not guarantee success in the NFL championship and a comeback victory in the Citrus Bowl Going into his senior season it seemed that Brady had estab lished himself as the team s starter and possibly a star in the making However the 1999 season began with Brady splitting time with Drew Henson a player many felt was going to be a superstar Once again Brady would have to fight for playing time THE HEISMAN MEMORIAL TROPHY DOWNTOWN AECL OF NEW YORCY RON DAYNE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

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