Today the G.O.A.T. turns 45 years old.
While Tom Brady‘s birthday is not yet an NFL holiday — wait 10 years for the league to launch “Tom Brady Training Camp Day” where fans can pet goats and eat cake — it’s as close as any name day comes.
Born Aug. 3, 1977, in San Mateo, California, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. continues destroying NFL records, particularly those age-related ones. Father Time grinds his teeth with every snap Brady takes, lampooning the former’s perfect record.
When Brady completes his first pass in Week 1, the Bucs QB will join Hall of Famer George Blanda as the only players to have a passing yard at age 45-plus in NFL history. Likewise, with one rush yard or one reception, Brady would be the first player in NFL history with a rush yard or reception at age 45 or older.
In honor of TB12’s birthday, the crack NFL Research squad put together some notes. Let’s dig through as we scarf down some sugar-free avocado cake:
1. American culture the year Brady was born in 1977:
- The top movie at the box office was Star Wars ($307,263,857 total gross).
- The top song of the year was Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) by Rod Stewart.
- Laverne & Shirley was the top-rated television show.
- Stephen King’s The Shining was published.
- Apple released the Apple II, the company’s first personal computer.
2. There are currently 104 active players that were born after April 16, 2000, the day New England drafted Brady. These men don’t know a breath of life without TB12 in the NFL.
3. The Buccaneers’ top 2022 draft pick (DT Logan Hall, 33rd overall pick) was born on April 22, 2000 — six days after Brady was drafted. Each of the first 12 players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft was born after Brady was drafted.
4. 13 of the 32 current head coaches are younger than Brady. Two current head coaches (Kevin O’Connell in 2008 and Kliff Kingsbury in 2003) were QBs drafted by the Patriots while Brady was on the team.
5. Brady has more passing yards in his 40s (22,938) than these notable QBs in their entire career:
- Roger Staubach (22,700)
- Michael Vick (22,464)
- Sammy Baugh (21,886)
- Neil O’Donnell (21,690)
- Jim McMahon (18,148)
6. Brady has more passing TD in his 40s (168) than these notable QBs in their entire career:
- Troy Aikman (165)
- Jim Plunkett (164)
- Bart Starr (152)
7. Brady led the NFL with 45 total touchdowns (43 pass, 2 rush) in the 2021 regular season at age 44. It marked his second career season with 45-plus total TDs (also 2007). He became one of three players with two career seasons with 45-plus total scores (Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers). Brady is the only player to have such a season at age 40-plus years old.
8. If you include playoff stats, Brady has had 45-plus passing TDs in four career seasons, the most such seasons in NFL history (Brady’s seasons: 2007, 2011, 2020, 2021). Rodgers (3), Manning and Patrick Mahomes (2) are the only other players with more than one such season in their careers.
9. Brady has 13 seasons with 4,500-plus passing yards (including playoffs) in his career, the most in NFL history. Drew Brees (12) is the only other player with 10 or more such seasons in NFL history.
10. Age 45 “non-sports” related fun facts:
- Tom Hanks won the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award in 2002 at age 45.
- Samuel L. Jackson starred as Jules Winnfield in the movie Pulp Fiction at age 45.
- The Model T was invented by Henry Ford at age 45.
- Paul Simon won Album of the Year for Graceland at the 1987 Grammy Awards (You Can Call Me Al was one of the songs) at age 45.
- J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit at age 45.
- Ted Danson played Sam Malone in the 11th season of television comedy Cheers at age 45.
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