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Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. was born on August 3rd, 1977, in San Mateo, California, the youngest child, and only son, of Galynn and Tom Brady. The Bradys were a close-knit family, and they they were all sport enthusiasts. The three Brady girls played every sport imaginable, including softball, soccer, and basketball. Tommy, as his family calls him, went to their every game and cheered them on. He also caught their competitive spirit.

Brady's interest in football started when he was very young. Some of his earliest memories are of attending San Fransisco 49er games with his family every Sunday when the team was in town. " The Niners were my team", enthused Brady in a CBS Under the Helmet . Brady was a particular fan of Joe Montana and Steve Young. When not going to football games or watching football on television, he was playing football. While attending St. Gregory's elementary school(where he was an altar boy), he played flag football and touch football during recess and after school. His position? Quarterback.

"Football has so many elements of sports. It's strength and it's speed, and it's quickness. It's endurance, it's toughness. It's so fast. It is a great game to watch and a great game to play."

Brady first played organized football as a freshmen at San Mateo's Juniperro Serra High School, a catholic all-boys school. By his junior year he was a starting quarterback, and by his senoir year, he was noticed by college and pro scouts. During Brady's high school quarterback career, he completed 236 of 447 passes for 3702 yards, and 31 touchdowns. The multi-talented Brady was also the star catcher on the school's baseball team, and, when he graduated in 1995, he was recruited to play professional baseball for the Montreal Expos. Instead, he opted to accept a scholarship for football at the University of Michigan.