MINNEAPOLIS — Tom Brady has never lost in Minnesota, with his latest game in the land of lakes this weekend at the Super Bowl of course looming as the largest yet.
Well, long before all this football success, Brady actually endured a couple of memorable failures in the state. They came during those treasured visits to his family's farm outside the tiny town of Browerville.
First, there was his grandfather's dog, Tippy. Little Tommy ignored the advice of his elders one day and decided to feed Tippy a bone.
"I bent down to give him a kiss, and he bit through my lip," Brady said. "That was pretty rough."
Then there was his ill-fated debut with chewing tobacco, which he persuaded his uncles to let him sample during the half-hour ride back to the farm from their fishing expedition on the lake.
"They said, 'Look, if we give it to you, you can't spit it out until you get home,' Of course they give it to me, and within five minutes I'm outside of the car, throwing up all over the place," Brady said. "And I don't think I've had much chewing tobacco since then."
Brady spent plenty more time in central Minnesota as he aged into a star quarterback and eventually one of the most famous people on the planet. He still makes a priority to visit in the offseasons with his wife and children, trying to continue a tradition he reflected upon fondly and often during news conferences this week.
"I've come here my entire life since I was a baby. I've been coming to Minnesota in summers and winters. I loved the experience. I loved the life here," Brady said. "Some of my greatest memories as a kid were coming here and milking cows with my grandpa; hanging out in his silos and in the haystack above his barn; going out to where he would pasteurize the milk and pull the cream off the top of the milk in the morning; and shooting his (.22-calibre rifle) at targets in the backyard, and catching sunfish with my uncles. It was great. I love being here. It's a great state. Obviously, I love the people. Being that my mom's from here, I'm proud of that."
Galynn Johnson was the middle child between two boys, the 1961 homecoming queen at Browerville High School who moved to California and met Tom Brady, who would later add senior to his name when a certain five-time Super Bowl winner was born. The couple returned to Todd County, where the prairie meets the forest a little less than a 2 1/2-hour drive northwest of downtown Minneapolis, in 1969 for their wedding.
Brady and the Patriots will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, when several family members will be in attendance at U.S. Bank Stadium.