Who Caught Tom Brady’s First TD Pass?

Superstar athlete Tom Brady is known for his storied career and numerous football accomplishments, arguably acting as the greatest quarterback of all time. Understandably, fans would want to know about the iconic touchdown pass that kicked off Tom Brady’s football career. 

Terry Glenn, a wide receiver for the New England Patriots, caught Tom Brady’s first touchdown pass during a game against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2001. Since then, Tom Brady has gone on to throw over 500 successful touchdowns. 

Tom Brady has achieved an impressive amount during his career as a professional football player, including everything from winning a Super Bowl on his first season as a starter to reaching a staggering number of 1,000 rushing yards. Read on to see how Tom Brady became the seasoned football player that he is today. 

New England Patriots

Tom Brady was recruited from college, where he had played football at the University of Michigan, to the New England Patriots in 2000. He was a sixth-round draft pick, served as the team’s backup quarterback, and only played one actual game that season. 

The next season, the New England Patriots’ current starting quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, was injured, and Tom Brady took his place. With Tom Brady as the starting quarterback, the team won against the St. Louis Rams at Super Bowl XXXVI. 

It’s hard to say whether the team knew then what Tom Brady would become, but he seemed to have an idea. 

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft recalls the time when he first met Tom Brady by saying, “I still have the image of Tom Brady coming down the old Foxboro stadium steps with that pizza box under his arm, a skinny beanpole, and when he introduced himself to me and said ‘Hi Mr. Kraft,’ he was about to say who he was, but I said ‘I know who you are, you’re Tom Brady. You’re our sixth-round draft choice,’” recalled Kraft.  “And he looked me in the eye and said ‘I’m the best decision this organization has ever made.’ It looks like he could be right.”

Tom Brady went on to play nine total Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowls and four Super Bowl MVP awards. His career was marked both by historic accomplishments and one scandal – Deflategate. 

The scandal was that the NFL had reason to believe that the New England Patriots had slightly deflated their footballs for the benefit of their quarterback, Tom Brady. Once the dust settled, Tom Brady was disciplined by the league, and the football continued. 

Eventually, Tom Brady left the New England Patriots, in part due to a low-ranking season and critical scrutiny. He posted a photo on Instagram, thanking his fans for their support over two decades of his career, which you can see below:

View this post on Instagram

I just wanted to say to all of our fans, THANK YOU! After a few days of reflection, I am so grateful and humbled by the unconditional support you have shown me the past two decades. Running out of that tunnel every week is a feeling that is hard to explain. I wish every season ended in a win, but that’s not the nature of sports (or life). Nobody plays to lose. But the reward for working hard is just that, the work!! I have been blessed to find a career I love, teammates who go to battle with me, an organization that believes in me, and fans who have been behind us every step of the way. Every one of us that works at Gillette Stadium strived to do their best, spent themselves at a worthy cause, and prepared to fail while daring greatly (h/t Teddy Roosevelt). And for that, we’ve been rewarded with something that the scoreboard won’t show – the satisfaction of knowing we gave everything to each other in pursuit of a common goal. That is what TEAM is all about. In both life and football, failure is inevitable. You dont always win. You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again. And that’s right where you will find me. Because I know I still have more to prove.

A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady) on Jan 8, 2020 at 5:50am PST

Tom Brady concluded the post with the line, “I know I still have more to prove.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020, at 43 years old. He had been playing in the National Football League since 2000, a 20-year career. 

The deal to sign Tom Brady cost a hefty $50 million, plus an additional $9 million in incentives.

Although sports fans and commentators initially questioned the move, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (often affectionately referred to as “the Bucs”) were not as high-ranking in the league as the New England Patriots, it ended up being a successful union. 

According to Oliver Connolly for The Guardian, “Brady is playing as well right now, at 43 years old, as he has in the past five years.” 

Logan Ryan, a football player for the New York Giants, said this of Tom Brady for The Boston Globe, “He’s like the final boss in Mario. Like fine wine, he keeps getting better. I love playing against him because it’s the greatest challenge in football.”

Twenty years into his football career, Tom Brady and his coaches decided to switch his playing style a little. For example, he’s changed how he received shotgun snaps, from his previous favoring of his left foot ahead to more of a squared-off stance. 

Tom Brady seemed to embrace the change, stating, “I think we’re improving every week, which has been really fun for me to see.” He also said that he immensely enjoys the warm Florida weather. 

Who can say what is next on the horizon for Tom Brady –  although it’s likely to be a touchdown pass.