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.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.
