Tom BradyNew England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, is a win away from becoming the NFL’s winningest quarterback in the history of the Super Bowl, when he takes on the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Sunday.

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady has given has given the Pats their four Super Bowl victories, and could become the only passer to raise the Vince Lombardi trophy five times, should he win the next Super Bowl LI.

Brady is tied with Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers) and Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh Steelers) with four Super Bowl wins. Those hall of famers helped their teams become dynasties dominating the league in different decades (Steelers in the 70’s, Niners in the 80’s).

Brady was born on August 3, 1977 in San Mateo, California, and before becoming a professional he played at the University of Michigan, where he posted a 20-5 records while scoring 30 touchdowns, completing 495 passes and passing for4,773 yards.

Following his stint at Michigan, Brady became the sixth round pick for the New England Patriots in the 2000 draft, the team he has played for during his 17 seasons as a pro.

A year after being drafted he was given the opportunity to start for the Patriots after  first stringer Drew Bledsoe got injured in a game against the New York Jets after a hit by linebacker Mo Lewis.

He went on to lead the Patriots to a 17-20 win in Super Bowl XXXVI against the Saint Louis Rams despite being a 14-point underdog. Not only he became the youngest quarterback ever to win the Super Bowl, but also his performance in the game earned him the first of his three Super Bowl MVP awards.

Two campaigns later, Brady once again took the Patriots to glory when he led them to defeat the Carolina Panthers 29-32 in Super Bowl XXXVIII a match that earned him his second MVP award.

Great performances by Brady and an overall dominant team brought the Pats their third title of the Brady-Belichick era in Super Bowl XXXIX, when New England defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champion since the Denver Broncos won Super Bowls XXXII AND XXXIII.

It took the Patriots three years to make it back to the Super Bowl, but this time an undefeated New England lost to the New York Giants 14-17 in one of the best Super Bowls of all time.

After winning two Super Bowls in a row, Brady would get to experience two straight defeats in the NFL’s title game as four seasons later he and the Pats once again fell to the Giants in the Super Bowl, this time by a 21-17 score in Super Bowl XLVI.

 

However, the “magic” of the Californian quarterback reappeared in the 2014 season; when the Patriots breezed through a 12-4 regular season and went on to defeat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX by a score of 28-24, earning Tom Brady his third MVP award.

After 17 campaigns in the NFL, the 39-year-old quarterback has been selected to the Pro Bowl 12 times, passed for 61,582 yards, 456 touchdowns, and amassed 183 regular season victories, making him the most successful quarterback in league history. His postseason resume is slightly less stellar: through 33 games, he has 24 wins and nine losses, in which he has passed for 61 touchdowns.

However, the most important record for Tom Brady could come in his 34th postseason game, where he could become the only quarterback with five Super Bowl rings, cementing his place as the greatest quarterback ever.