Tom Brady Super Bowl XXXIX New England Patriots Game Worn ‘Championship Clinching’ Cleats

It was Super Bowl XXXIX that catapulted Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to one of the most dominant dynasties in professional sports history. Their third championship in four years solidified the public’s perception that this team wasn’t a Cinderella story anymore; they were a generational force to be reckoned with, led by an all-time great. 

The contest between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles served as the close, in a sense, to Brady’s dramatic first act in the NFL.

By this point a two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowler, Brady was already establishing himself among the elite of his generation, but had a chance in this matchup to begin to truly make a case for himself as the “GOAT.” Facing a hungry Eagles team, led by legendary Head Coach Andy Reid, the task would not be simple and the coolest head would prevail.

In the weeks leading up to the game, Philadelphia’s players had done much to turn the highly anticipated contest into a war of words. Receiver Freddie Mitchell had told reporters that he didn’t even know the names of the Patriots who would be defending him and that he “has something” for New England safety Rodney Harrison. Mitchell, that night and that season, played second fiddle to his teammate Terrell Owens, a generational talent on the field and in sound bites who was coming back to play in Super Bowl XXXIX despite a broken leg and torn ankle ligament suffered just seven weeks prior. The Eagles had even developed a detailed Victory Parade Route and plan before the game, which Patriots head coach Bill Belichick read out to the Patriots before the game. Amidst the verbal jabs and despite the heroic return of Philadelphia’s top receiver, Belichick set the tone and urged his team to simply remain focused on what was required to deliver the knockout punch and remain Super Bowl champions: “Do your job…Just take care of your assignment. Know what it is, execute it and get it taken care of…Do your job, be physical, and you’ll be champions again tonight.”.

While most of the chatter in the weeks leading up to the game surrounded Eagles offensive playmakers, Brady found a comfortable connection from the jump with wide receiver Deion Branch. Though not the most highly touted at his position (he never surpassed 1000 receiving yards in any season of his career), Brady helped turn Branch into an absolute force in the playoffs. In fact, by the time he left the Patriots following the 2005 season, Branch had as many 100-yard games in eight career playoff games (4) as he did across more than fifty regular season contests. 

Brady looked Branch’s way early and often and found success moving the chains with him at the receiving end. Their biggest play and possibly the most important offensive play of the night was a remarkable conversion in the fourth quarter that had the broadcast in awe of “a great throw [that] beats great coverage.” The Patriots rallied a drive around that toss and set kicker Adam Vinatieri up for a field goal that would prove decisive in New England’s 24-21 victory. 

Brady would finish the night 23 of 33 passing for 236 yards and two passing touchdowns, one of his most clinical and near flawless performances in the big game. With the victory, he secured the third Lombardi trophy of his career as a starting quarterback, at the time only the fourth ever to do so, and was well on his way to becoming the most decorated professional football player of all-time. The lasting memory of that night in Florida continues to be one word: “Dynasty.”

Sotheby’s is proud to present, directly from his personal collection, Tom Brady’s Super Bowl XXXIX game worn championship clinching cleats. 

The cleats are accompanied by letters from MeiGray in regards to photomatching and Tom Brady in regards to provenance. 

Going Deeper - Tom Brady

Humble Beginnings and the Road to Greatness

There are only a few athletes who are near-universally accepted as the greatest in their sport: Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Babe Ruth—and Tom Brady.

While most of them entered their respective sports as highly touted prospects, Brady’s journey began as an unassuming sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft.

During ESPN’s segment covering the 199th pick, resident draft expert Mel Kiper remarked, “[Brady] throws a very catchable ball.” Watching the segment today, there is little evidence Kiper realized he was talking about the player who threw perhaps the most catchable ball in the history of the sport. Brady holds the record for the most passing yards, completions, and touchdowns in NFL history.

Kiper would go on to talk about Brady’s perceived weaknesses: “The question is going to be mobility. He only runs a 5.25 forty [yard dash] and of course when you have those edge pass rushers, you have to avoid the initial defensive end, the initial pass rusher. Can he do that at the pro level?”

Brady’s seemingly pedestrian 2000 NFL Combine performance (his 40-yard dash was on par with some offensive lineman) and the now infamous photo of his less-than-strapping, unathletic physique, have become part of the lore for what many consider the best draft pick of all time. Every year come draft time, that photo of Brady gets circulated through social media as teams hope to strike gold again as the New England Patriots did in the year 2000.

Brady would acknowledge as much when he posted the picture to his personal Instagram years later, with the caption:

“19 years ago today the @patriots took a chance on the guy in this photo: Me (199) 😂. Thank you to EVERYONE who’s helped me to prove them right! PS: Did they stop taking these photos after mine?? 🤣🤣”

What followed, of course, is legend. Brady would go on to join the Patriots as their fourth-string quarterback and was, by no means, a lock to even make the team. By the following season however, he was thrust into a starting role after veteran starter Drew Bledsoe sustained an injury in week two. That opportunity was all Brady needed. He would lead the Patriots to a 20-17 victory in Super Bowl XXXVI that year and become the youngest Super Bowl MVP.

Brady would win five more Super Bowls with the New England Patriots as well as one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on his way to becoming the best quarterback, and arguably player, in the history of the sport. No NFL player has ever come close to being as good for as long. If you split Brady’s career into segments, you would find two, maybe even three, Hall of Fame resumes.

In 2024, Brady began the next chapter of his storied career in a new arena as the primary color commentator for FOX’s Sunday NFL broadcasts.