How Tom Brady’s legend started in the state of Michigan — and lasted 2 decades

BY RYAN FORD • PUBLISHED FEB. 1, 2022; UPDATED FEB. 1, 2023

Quarterback Tom Brady — a seven-time Super Bowl champion, 15-time Pro Bowler and three-time NFL MVP (in case you’re just hearing of him) — officially retired from pro football Tuesday morning, after a weekend of nationwide confusion over whether he was actually retiring.

After 22 NFL seasons (and a few extra days of offseason), his case as the NFL’s GOAT (Greatest Of All Time, that is) is solidified, and we can finally look back on his career in the pros in its entirety … and his time in college.

Before he was the GOAT with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was a kid — literally and also as a baby GOAT — in Ann Arbor, with two seasons as the starting quarterback at Michigan.

As a Michigan Man, Brady worked his way into Michigan’s passing record books despite splitting time with Drew Henson during his final season. More than two decades after Brady left Ann Arbor as a sixth-round NFL draft pick (No. 199 overall), he’s still 10th at Michigan in career touchdown passes (35), ninth in career passing yards (5,351) and tied for fourth in career 200-yard games (15). In the NFL, he dominated the Detroit Lions — then again, who doesn’t? — in seven appearances. He posted a 5-2 record (with one of the losses coming in his NFL debut, in which he attempted three passes as a backup in garbage time) with a 104 passer rating. His numbers are even better when taking on the Lions in Michigan: 67.3% completion percentage, 1,032 yards, nine TDs and two interceptions for a 115.6 passer rating. With that in mind, here’s a quick look at Brady’s best games in the state of Michigan (with our apologies to those with warm memories of beatdowns of Arkansas and Alabama in the Citrus Bowl and Orange Bowl, respectively).

Oct. 9, 1999: Michigan State 34, Michigan 31 Brady wasn’t the best player on the field in East Lansing as Nick Saban’s squad dominated the rivalry to improve to No. 5 in the nation the following Monday — that was MSU wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who hauled in 10 catches for 255 yards and a touchdown. (MSU QB Bill Burke was the beneficiary of Burress’ big day, as he became the first Spartans QB to top 400 yards passing.) But Brady, who started then sat for two quarters as sophomore Drew Henson struggled, made it close in the end. He led Michigan to two scores in the final 8:11, completing all 15 pass attempts during the two drives.

Brady finished 30-for-41 for 285 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Had Burress not recovered the onside kick after U-M got within three points, Brady might have picked up his second career 300-yard game. (His first? Against Ohio State in a 31-16 loss in Columbus, where he threw 56 times — still a U-M record — and completed 31 for 375 yards.)

Oct. 23, 1999: Illinois 35, Michigan 29

Instead, his second 300-yard game came two weeks later in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines lost after being 24½-point favorites — seems familiar — but it was hardly Brady’s fault, even with two interceptions. He led U-M to a 27-7 lead in the third before the Wolverines’ defense allowed 28 straight points. Both interceptions came in the fourth quarter as the Wolverines attempted to regain the lead. The first came on a fourth-and-30 pass, which followed a snap well over Brady’s head from Illinois’ 28-yard line on second-and-5.

After an Illinois TD made it an eight-point game, Brady drove the Wolverines 64 yards to Illinois’ 18. Three plays later, however, U-M’s hopes of overtime were dashed when Brady threw an interception in the end zone with nine seconds left. The Illinois defender who made the pick fumbled and Michigan recovered for a safety, but the two points still left the Wolverines