While many believe greatness was destined for Tom Brady, there was a time when the 48-year-old nearly gave up on this dream and wanted to leave his alma mater, Michigan. Like the start of his NFL career, Brady failed to establish himself as the outright starter from Day 1 and had to wait for his time to prove his worth as a Wolverine. Addressing this journey of self-doubt and frustration, Brady revealed his early-career struggles at Michigan in the recent edition of his newsletter.

“I fought hard to go to Michigan,” Tom Brady shared in a recent edition of 199. “I fought even harder to stay there, competing against guys who were just as good as me, if not better. I didn’t get a chance to start until my fourth year. It was tough. It had me questioning whether I was at the right school.”

During his time at Michigan, Brady spent his early years watching from the sidelines as Brian Griese led the Wolverines to a national championship. Even after finally earning the starting role and leading the team throughout his junior season, nothing was handed to him.

“But what makes it too hard is exactly the thing that makes it the perfect place for you, because it will offer you the greatest opportunity of all: the opportunity to face your fears and doubts and develop the skills and abilities necessary to overcome any obstacle you’ll face on the path to being successful in life,” Brady wrote in his newsletter about his mindset during these challenging times.

Heading into his senior year, he found himself back in a quarterback battle. He had to fight all over again for the job he had already won once. He responded the only way he knew how, by proving himself on the field. After securing the starting spot, Brady led Michigan to an Orange Bowl victory over Arkansas and capped off his college career in style.

Still, the NFL wasn’t convinced. Brady slipped all the way to the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, a spot where most players are lucky to survive a couple of seasons in the league. Naturally, expectations were low. Few believed he would become anything more than a backup.

Then came the moment that changed everything. When Patriots franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury, Brady stepped in and never looked back. He caught the league’s attention by throwing five straight 300-yard games, and by the time Bledsoe was healthy again, the job no longer belonged to him. Brady had taken over.

That same season, he led the Patriots to the first Super Bowl title in franchise history. What followed became one of the greatest stories in sports history. Brady went on to win a record seven Super Bowls, surpassing his childhood idol, Joe Montana, who many had once considered the greatest quarterback of all time.

Now, after this illustrious career, as Tom Brady navigates his second act with various major opportunities, the NFL legend hasn’t forgotten his Alma Mater and showed support as they took home the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship.

Tom Brady shows support for Wolverines before National Championship win

The Michigan Wolverines won the National Championship by defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63 in the final to secure their first title since 1989. But before this dominant performance in the biggest game of the season, Dusty May’s team received a special message of support from former Wolverines star Tom Brady.

“No busted brackets over here… GO BLUE 〽️💙💛 @umichbball bring it home tonight!” he shared in an Instagram post.

For Michigan, the Final Four’s most outstanding player, Elliot Cadeau, led the team with 19 points, including the Wolverines’ first three-pointer at the 7:04-mark into the second half. The second beyond-the-arc shot came from freshman Trey McKenney with 1:50 left to secure a nine-point lead. However, the Michigan defense turned out to be the deciding factor by holding UConn to 30.9% shooting.

Tom Brady never had it easy, whether in college or the NFL. But he kept pushing through the tough times and became the greatest quarterback ever. Even in retirement, he still bleeds maize and blue for his Michigan Wolverines.