NFL superstar Tom Brady has retired after an illustrious professional career spanning 23 seasons, leaving behind a legacy as what some call the best quarterback in the sport’s history – and some high-profile appearances in EA’s Madden NFL sports game franchise as well.
Brady’s career began in the mid-1990s, when he played in the NCAA on the Michigan Wolverines. He turned up in NCAA Football 99, released in August 1998, as number 32 on the Wolverines, though you can only recognize him by that number.
Like in NFL Blitz and its other competitors at the time, NCAA Football 99 was hardly the most graphically advanced game, and one player looked pretty much identical to the next.
In 2000, a year after graduating from Michigan, Brady joined the New England Patriots, where he remained until 2020. NCAA 99-style fame wasn’t immediately forthcoming, though. When the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase said missing out on Madden 23’s top 10 ratings was motivation to try harder, Brady said he shouldn’t worry. He didn’t even show up on the Madden Patriots’ roster until his second year.
Don’t sweat it man. Madden didn’t even put me in the game my second year 😂 @Real10jayy__ https://t.co/je5GbMfFrQ
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) July 18, 2022
Madden only referred to him as “QB No. 12” and gave him a rather abysmal rating for two years running – 57 in 2000 and 51 in 2001 (thanks, MaddenRatings). It rose to 84 in 2002 and remained in the 90s for the rest of his career. In 2011, Brady earned a 99, the highest rating Madden awards players. He earned a 99 rating two more times – in 2017 and 2018 – and had a rating over 95 13 times in total.
Brady also appeared on the cover of Madden 18 and then again on the cover of Madden 21, alongside Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
