First published 2006
Award-winning sports journalist Charles P. Pierce chronicles how Tom Brady became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and the only player to capture three championships before age twenty-eight. Pierce interviewed Brady's family, friends, coaches, and teammates to understand how a sixth-round draft pick transformed into a superstar. The book examines Brady's highly developed skills and discipline while exploring the ironies of his success. Brady led a Patriots dynasty that once struggled so badly it played a home game in Birmingham, Alabama because no Boston stadium would host the team. Pierce secured exclusive access to Brady during the 2005 season, when the quarterback entered as defending Super Bowl champion with a remarkable 57-14 record, the best mark for any NFL quarterback since 1966. The season became the Patriots' most challenging in five years, giving Pierce the perfect opportunity to study how Brady maintains his position at the top of professional football. The book reveals how an ordinary man and team achieved extraordinary success.
Genres: biography, sports, football, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: rags-to-riches, underdog
Setting: Birmingham, Alabama, Boston
Period: 2005
288 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux