Michigan Football: Hail! To the career of Tom Brady

After 22 astonishing years in the NFL, the greatest quarterback to ever lace them up is finally retiring from the game that he changed forever.

Tom Brady did it all in his hall of fame football career. From Junipero high school to Michigan, to New England and Tampa Bay, Brady only got better as he grew. He didn’t do much in high school too noteworthy, but the signs were there early. He was also a budding baseball player who was drafted by the once-known Montreal Expos but unquestionably made the right choice by enrolling at Michigan to pursue his football future.

He arrived in Ann Arbor in 1995 and almost transferred because he had to sit behind Brian Griese and others for two years and was buried at the bottom of a deep depth chart. He was part of the national championship squad of 97, in what was the first of his many times he got to the top of the football pinnacle.

In 98 his patience and persistence paid off as he earned his chance to be the starting quarterback at one of the most prestigious universities on the planet. Of course, he had to battle one of the most highly regarded recruits to ever play the same position at Michigan in Drew Henson.

As history had it Brady got the nod over Henson and set records in his first full season as the number one guy. He and Henson went back and forth and forged the team to a 10-3 record with wins over Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Arkansas in the Citrus bowl. They finished 12th in both the AP and coaches polls at the conclusion of the year.

In 1999, Michigan football started out 5-0 before losing a heartbreaker to rival Michigan State in East Lansing. The Wolverines were upset the following week at home to Illinois and never lost again afterward. Brady left Michigan with a win over Ohio State and a very memorable triumph over Alabama in the 2000 Orange bowl at the turn of the century. The Wolverines ended with a top-five ranking in the polls for their efforts.

For as much as he did while at Michigan he was still being overlooked going to the NFL. He was a scrawny kid, as seen by his famous combine photo, who wouldn’t amount to nothing. That’s why he wasn’t drafted until late and got laughingly surpassed by flameouts like Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, and Spergon Wynn.

We all know what happened after that. He went on to defy time as a history maker who made Michigan proud to call him one of their own. Brady will not go down as the most prolific Michigan football players ever, but there may never be anyone like him that comes from the special place that is near and dear to all of our hearts like the University of Michigan.

People who hate him can call him a cheater, a guy who wins too much, but he will forever go down as a human being who can be called a Michigan man. Maybe one day he’ll come back again as he did a few years ago, but this time it will be to lead the Wolverines as head coach of the program.