by Tom Brady: How Joe Montana Inspired a Legend
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Tom Brady is widely considered the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of football. Over the course of his 22-year NFL career, Brady has won 6 Super Bowls, 5 Super Bowl MVP awards, and set countless passing records. However, Brady himself credits one player in particular for inspiring his legendary career – Joe Montana.
Montana was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1992. During his time with the 49ers, Montana established himself as one of the greatest postseason performers in NFL history. He led the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories in the 1980s and cemented his status as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play.
Growing up in San Mateo, California as a young football fan in the 1980s, Brady idolized Montana and the dominant 49ers teams. He watched in awe as Montana time and again delivered clutch performances to bring Super Bowl trophies back to the Bay Area. Montana’s poise under pressure and ability to lead game-winning drives made a huge impression on the young Brady.
“I remember watching Joe Montana in those Super Bowls and how effortless it looked for him,” Brady said in a 2017 interview. “It didn’t seem like he was stressed out or sweating. He just went out and won championships. That’s what I aspired to be.”
Brady first became aware of Montana in 1981 when the 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI. At just 14 years old, Brady was mesmerized by Montana’s play, especially his game-winning touchdown pass to Dwight Clark in the final minute, now known simply as “The Catch.”
“That catch, that moment, really captured my attention,” Brady said. “I remember thinking, ‘I want to be able to do what Joe Montana just did.’ To come through in the clutch like that was so impressive.”
Over the next few years, Brady continued watching as Montana led the 49ers to Super Bowl victories over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX and the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIII. Each championship performance only increased Brady’s admiration for Montana and desire to replicate that success.
“The way Joe handled himself and led those 49ers teams was so impressive to me as a young football player,” Brady said. “He just had this aura about him of absolute confidence. It didn’t seem like the moment was too big for him. That’s something I really tried to model as I got older.”
While growing up, Brady kept posters of Montana on his bedroom walls and studied footage of the quarterback to try and glean what made him so effective. Montana’s poise in the pocket, accuracy across all areas of the field, and ability to dissect defenses were traits Brady tried to emulate in his own game.
“I watched how calm and composed Joe always was,” Brady said. “It didn’t seem like the speed of the game ever got to him. He had this ability to slow things down and make the right decisions. That’s something I worked really hard on, trying to stay calm under pressure and go through my progressions.”
Brady first began playing organized football as a young teenager. He joined a Pop Warner football team in San Mateo at age 14 and played throughout high school at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo. While Brady showed promise as a quarterback in high school, he was still a relatively unknown prospect coming out of high school in 1995.
Brady went on to play college football at the University of Michigan from 1995-1999. He began his career as a backup but eventually earned the starting job during his junior season in 1998. That year, Brady led Michigan to an 8-4 record as a starter and a Citrus Bowl victory over Arkansas.
However, Brady entered his senior season in 1999 still lacking the recognition and hype of other top quarterback prospects. He went into his final college season looking to prove himself as a legitimate NFL prospect, still drawing inspiration from his idol Joe Montana.
“I always felt like I had something to prove,” Brady said. “I wasn’t the biggest, strongest or fastest guy, but I knew I had the mental part down. I tried to carry that ‘Joe Cool’ mentality with me, that confidence and poise that he played with. I knew if I could show scouts I had ‘it’ between the ears, I had a chance.”
Brady had a breakout senior campaign, leading Michigan to an undefeated season and a national championship victory over Alabama in the Orange Bowl. He threw for 2,636 yards and 26 touchdowns that year while completing 60% of his passes. Brady’s stellar senior year elevated his draft stock heading into the 2000 NFL Draft.
However, Brady still wasn’t considered a surefire first round pick. He ended up being selected 199th overall by the New England Patriots in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady began his rookie season as the Patriots’ fourth-string quarterback but steadily worked his way up the depth chart.
In 2001, Brady was named the Patriots’ starting quarterback after Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury. From that point on, Brady’s career took off. He led New England to an 11-3 record as a starter in 2001 and an improbable Super Bowl victory over the St. Louis Rams to capture his first championship.
Brady’s early success in New England validated his belief that his mental approach could carry him far as a quarterback, just as it had for his idol Joe Montana. Over the next two decades, Brady would continue cementing his status as the greatest quarterback of all time by winning 5 more Super Bowls with the Patriots.
“Joe was always the player I looked up to the most,” Brady said. “His poise, confidence and ability to deliver in the clutch was second to none. I tried to model myself after that. To have some success and win championships just like he did has been incredibly rewarding.”
Even late into his legendary career, the 43-year old Brady still draws inspiration from Montana’s example. As Brady continues chasing more Super Bowl rings with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he still thinks back to the clutch performances of Montana that first made him fall in love with the quarterback position.
“Joe set the standard for what it means to be a championship quarterback,” Brady said. “I’m still striving for that level of greatness myself, still trying to push to get better every year. As long as I have Joe and those 49er teams of the 80s to look up to, I’ll keep working to achieve more.”
Brady’s unprecedented career success proves he achieved greatness by modeling himself after Montana’s example of clutch play, poise under pressure, and championship mentality. While Brady has certainly surpassed Montana’s statistical resume, he remains indebted to the player who first inspired his love of football all those years ago. Joe Montana laid the foundation for Brady to build himself into the greatest of all time.
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