Tom Brady University of Michigan AP National Championship Clinching Game Worn Jersey | 1998 Rose Bowl

Sotheby’s is proud to present, directly from his personal collection, Tom Brady’s University of Michigan game worn home jersey from the 1998 Rose Bowl. Brady did not play in the game. He wore this jersey on the sideline. 

In his redshirt sophomore year, Tom Brady continued to mature behind starting quarterback Brian Griese while earning the first major team hardware of his football career.

Following a perfect 11-0 regular season, the Wolverines earned a berth in the 1998 Rose Bowl where they would line up against the PAC-10 co-champion Washington State Cougars. 

The “Granddaddy of Them All” proved to be a national showcase for Heisman winning teammate and future “Tuck Rule Game” foil Charles Woodson, who flew around the field making plays on both sides of the ball. Michigan would defeat Ryan Leaf’s “Wazzu" team in an all-time classic, 21-16, and was awarded their first national championship in nearly fifty years by AP (The Coaches’ Poll awarded the National Title to Nebraska, splitting the national championship for the third time in the 1990s). While Brady did not appear in the game, this jersey represents Brady’s first and only national championship.

The item is accompanied by letters from MeiGray 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.