“I was like, 'Oh my gosh, Tom Brady went up there,'” Tom Brady said. “I was like, 'Whatever, I'll figure something out.'
At Thursday night's U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, Brady ran in a corn-colored uniform with a blue block “M” protruding from the back of his bib that read “BRADY.” It drew the jeers and attention he's become accustomed to since deciding to run at Michigan, the alma mater of its seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback of the same name. Brady, a two-time Big Ten Conference champion in the 10,000 meters, holds the school's records for the 5,000 meters, the 10,000 meters and for hearing nasty jokes about his name.
“I don't care,” Brady said. “I chose to go to Michigan, so I brought this on myself.”
Brady, as a runner rather than a quarterback, took to the stage of the biggest race of his career Thursday night at Hayward Field. Finishing last in the first heat of the 5,000 meters did not dampen his enthusiasm for what he described as “the chance of a lifetime.”
For the first few laps of the race, NBC trained their cameras on Brady to discuss the noun determinism going on: Brady didn't get into Michigan because of the name coincidence, but he didn't let it deter him from running there.
“I'm a big football fan,” Brady said, “and growing up, I didn't always root for Tom Brady because he was so good and I was a big Bears fan. Of course, I knew that. I made the decision regardless and I've been the subject of a lot of jokes over the years about it.”
“At least people recognize your accomplishments more than someone with a similar time. I take it for what it is and enjoy it. I chose to go to Michigan.”
Brady the runner was born in 2000, the year before Brady the football player became the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. So his parents never expected to burden their son with a lifetime of second-guessing. And maybe it didn't matter: Brady's great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all named Tom Brady. (He's not the fourth, because they have different middle names. His name is Declan.)
“I think our family has had it longer than he has,” Brady said.
Brady was known as Tommy for a while in high school, but he never considered changing his name to distinguish himself. “My dad is Tom,” Brady says. “I wanted to be Tom, and I think that's a very grown-up way of doing things. I never felt like Thomas was my real identity. So I'm Tom, Tom Brady.”
Brady gets asked the same questions all the time, the most annoying being, “Is your name really Tom Brady?” Another common question he gets asked is, “Have you ever played football?”
Yes. Tom Brady played tight end for six years. “I'm not a quarterback,” Brady said. “I'm not a good quarterback.”
Looking at Brady, who stands 5-foot-7, it's hard to believe he played tight end. “I was big enough then,” Brady said. “I stopped growing in the seventh grade. Running was the best outlet for me.”
The answer to another question he frequently gets is, “No, he's never met or spoken to a quarterback.”
“He's got better things to do than make fun of a guy who has the same name as him and goes to the same school as him,” Brady said. “He seems like a great guy. It's awesome to be compared to a guy like that.”
Brady doesn't mind the name question. He knew what he was in for when he went to Michigan. He's not the only one to share a name with a celebrity. In one college race, he finished alongside Air Force runner Luke Combs. “There's also Will Smith from Gonzaga,” Brady said.
Brady didn't have high expectations for the trials. He had mononucleosis this spring and his training had been limited to light four-mile jogs twice a day. He hadn't even run a competitive 5,000-meter race in preparation for Thursday. Still, he wanted the experience because he knows he'll never have it again. Brady plans to return to Chicago. He plans to become a software engineer.
“I don't really see myself doing track and field,” Brady said, “Maybe I'll be that guy one day to try a marathon and see what I can do with it. For me, I don't know if I can juggle a full-time job with track and field. This might be my only chance.”
There, Brady lined up among the best American runners, next to Cole Hocker, who had won the 1,500 meters two days earlier and was fast emerging as one of the greatest American distance runners of all time.
“We're the same age, and he's accomplished some crazy things in his career,” Brady said. “It's like, 'Wow, I'm literally just as good as him,' but at the same time, it's like, 'Go compete against him and see what happens.'”
Brady and Hocker ran side by side for much of the race, with Hocker surging to the front in the final few laps to win while Brady dropped to the back, still savoring his chance to step onto the track at Hayward Field.
“It's fun to race a bunch of guys and see what I'm capable of,” Brady said.
Brady is still looking for work in the Chicago area. He said the tech industry is in a tough spot right now. He has two degrees in computer engineering and specializes in back-end systems. If anyone needs someone, he's available and in demand. It's not every day you can hire Tom Brady.
