By George Devine, Sr.

“Everybody’s been very supportive!” says Tom Brady, Sr., of San Mateo, “It’s been unbelievable!” The proud father, who grew up in San Francisco, is taking stock of the groundswell of admiration for his son Tom, Jr., cast in a Cinderella role as starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, and ultimately Most Valuable Player, in this year’s Super Bowl XXXVI. Wife Galynn echoes the senior Brady’s sentiments: “I think like everyone else in our family. It feels hard to believe and it feels like a dream. We’re excited. We’re proud. We’re a little overwhelmed by everything. This happened very quickly and I don’t think any of us dreamed it would happen in a year, all the wonderful success that he had and that the whole team had.” It is perhaps even harder to believe that Brady turned his talents to the gridiron, after a scholastic tenure which began with success in the legendary baseball tradition of Junipero Serra High School, which was also the high school of the San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds.In his experience of both baseball and football, the word “team” is important to young Tom Brady. When the Patriots took the field against the St. Louis Rams, they did it as one, in keeping with the philosophy of coach Bill Belichick, rather than single out individuals for pre-game introductions. It was that mentality that allowed a smooth transition when Brady took the place of Drew Bledsoe at quarterback, and the same outlook that characterizes a base of support for Brady that goes back to his grade school days at St. Gregory’s through his high school years at Serra – both schools in San Mateo — and his collegiate tenure at the University of Michigan. Says his Serra football coach, Tom MacKenzie: “He was always able to keep things in perspective, and fit in both around the school building and around the locker room; he never went out of his way to make himself the center of attention. He was always very conscious that he was just one member of the football team. It’s very consistent with the way the Patriots took the field at the Super Bowl; it’s very much him. Even though he has played a major role, in high school, college or the pros, he understands that he’s only as good as the people around him, and he has given credit to his offensive line.”

“He was an altar boy at St. Gregory’s, and always got along with all the other kids,” his mother reminisces, “He was always so willing to share whatever he had if he could help anybody else; if somebody was missing part of their lunch he was glad to share. He was very involved in the school and very much enjoyed being a part of St. Gregory’s.”

“I was principal at St. Gregory’s when Tom was a student there,” recalls Lorraine Paul, now assistant principal for academics at Serra, “from when he was in kindergarten. I was here with him during his entire four years here, and I’m a big fan. I think the most significant thing is that as talented as he is, that pales in comparison to how nice he is. He’s a really energetic and kind young man. He gets that from his family. There’s a strong tradition of service to the community, and he got that from home. He’s a great little brother. His three sisters (Maureen, Julie and Nancy, who all attended St. Gregory’s before him) adore him and he adores them.

Serra principal Michael Peterson has vivid memories of his 1995 graduate, “We just rejoice in Tommy’s success. He’s a great kid. He was a very good student here. I didn’t coach him or teach him in a classroom, but he was one of those kids who was always involved in the school. He was always very courteous and very mannerly, the same as you see on TV; that’s Tom Brady. You just want to say good things about him because he’s a sincerely good person.” The same perspective is shared by Serra chaplain Father Joe Bradley: “Tommy’s Tommy. What you see is what you get. He’s been extremely supportive of Serra, even beyond athletics, and been very good with the kids. He’s very approachable. If you could describe him in one word, it would be sincere”. Warm words from alma mater, one would say, but consider the reflections of fellow St. Gregory’s parishioner Joe Vollert, who has coached against Brady for St. Ignatius Prep of San Francisco: “His strength is his poise and his knowledge of where to go with the ball. And did he do a great job against the Rams! I was tickled to death to see him perform so well and represent the parish well. And his whole family is really well spoken of here, too!”

It is precisely from his family that Brady got his work ethic, according to his mother: “Whatever he was doing he had a strong work ethic, and I think his work ethic got him where he is, not only in the sports field but academically. Whatever he did he did 110%. I didn’t doubt he would be successful but didn’t think it would happen so quickly.” Randy Vogel, admissions director at Serra for thirty-three years, says much the same: “From his days at Serra until now Tom works extremely hard and I just want you to know that his work ethic in high school is still evident and he is not afraid to work hard.” Serra’s longtime baseball coach Pete Jensen agrees: “He played baseball four years here. I coached him as a senior on varsity. He was one of our best players as a catcher, a left-handed hitter, and he was actually drafted by the Montreal Expos. He’s one of the greatest kids I ever coached. He was a really competitive kid but he kept things in perspective. He loved practice and being on the field; he took extra time in the batting cage and wanted to be as good as he could. He was probably the best catcher I’ve ever coached. People are surprised at the success he’s had but knowing how hard he works and how seriously he takes things, it doesn’t surprise me; he was going to outwork and out-try anybody out there.” And current football coach Patrick Walsh validates that view: “The way I see him, he’s a competitor and when people tell him he can’t do something he likes that. I think we’re coming from the same place since I’m a short guy, but he’s obviously a better athlete than I am!”

But despite Brady’s baseball talent, it was the pigskin game that won out. “Baseball was actually the sport I thought he would excel in,” says his mother, “since he played it since he was a little youngster. He played both sports, football and baseball, but started football in high school.” MacKenzie, who coached football at the school from 1979-2000, and as head coach since 1990, sees the connection between Brady’s family and schooling as key ingredients in his discipline as a player: “As a person and as a player, Tom was always a young man that could make a commitment to himself. He loved to go to practice, is extremely coachable, very unselfish and certainly has had a passion for the game. In regards to any of the most successful athletes, I think it all goes back to their family upbringing. His parents are very active in St. Gregory’s Parish and in their children’s lives. So it was a natural extension that after Tom attended St. Gregory’s he would attend Junipero Serra so these values would be a continuing part of his education.

“Another thing to know about Brady and his development as an athlete,” according to MacKenzie: “Basically Tom didn’t surface until his JV year. He’s always had a good strong arm and very accurate in his passing. But in terms of his footwork and his agility with the lower part of his body, the credit for that goes to Tom Brady himself. He had the opportunity to work with trainers and he took advantage of the options but he took the initiative by having a jump rope and I asked him to write down his program for me and we implemented it for all our players. He was very meticulous about doing what was needed especially in his third and fourth years in high school so as to become a Division I athlete in senior year. I never needed to tell Tom Brady that he needed to work hard or that he needed to work on his footwork. I told that to Tom and his father in his sophomore year and they took care of business. His dad provided opportunities for Tom with athletic club memberships and summer camps and he was very faithful to that, rather than just going out with his friends and things like that. After his sophomore and junior years of playing baseball for Serra in the spring he would put down his bat, ball and glove and spend the summer getting ready for football. But that was also something that Tom did on his own. He made a tremendous commitment both to himself and to our football program. I never had to ask him to do any of these things. These were personal decisions he made on his own because he wanted the opportunity to play on the next level.

“Especially during his senior year, Tom did an excellent job of handling all the notoriety and publicity that was directed his way. I never had to tell him that; and he is one of the athletes where I have told him what he needed to do ONCE and that was it, and I never needed to tell him on the field that you need to do this or that; he was very mature and solid.” Vogel sums it up on behalf of all Brady’s supporters: “I think, throughout this whole season, I was most impressed by his poise. There were some tough situations throughout the whole season and at the University of Michigan and Tom always handled it with a lot of poise and confidence and class. I think he’s deserving of every honor he’s ever gotten!”

George Devine, Sr., has covered professional and scholastic sports in the Bay Area for over twenty years.