Kyle Brady
Encyclopedia
Kyle James Brady is a former professional American football
player. He played tight end
for 13 seasons in the National Football League
for the New York Jets
, Jacksonville Jaguars
and New England Patriots
. He was the Jets' first round draft choice in the 1995 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Penn State
.
in Camp Hill
, Pennsylvania
, Brady lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a first team USA Today
All-USA selection, a Parade Magazine
All-America selection and, as a senior, was the Gatorade
Pennsylvania Player of the Year, and the recipient of the Bobby Dodd Award (which is given to the nation's top offensive lineman) given by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta.
, Brady was a two-time All-Big Ten selection, and a consensus All-America choice as a senior. During his senior year in 1994, he helped his team to an undefeated record
, a conference championship, and the school's first Rose Bowl victory. He was ranked seventh in the all-time reception list for the school. He graduated with a degree in exercise and sports science in 1995.
in the first round (9th overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft
, much to the chagrin of the Jets fans in attendance. The fans wanted the team to draft Warren Sapp
and showed it by chanting "We want Sapp! We want Sapp!"
in 1999 and had his best year in the NFL with the Jaguars as he, in the 2000
season, set career highs with 64 receptions and 729 receiving yards. He was the Jaguars' Man of the Year in 2003. Brady had a reputation with the Jags as a very durable player, having only missed nine games in his twelve seasons in the NFL, and was also known as an outstanding blocker.
at tight end. Patriots coach Bill Belichick
was known to have been enamored with Brady dating back to 1995 while he was head coach of the Cleveland Browns
. Belichick had reportedly planned to draft Brady that year with the 10th pick—one pick after the Jets drafted him. When Brady was selected, Belichick traded down to the 30th pick. One website went as far as to label Brady "Belichick's white whale
."
Despite nagging injuries, Brady played In 14 games for the Patriots in 2007
, catching nine passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns, culminating with Super Bowl XLII
. He was released by New England on February 29, 2008, and retired shortly thereafter.
s for NFL players preparing for careers after football. Brady attended the workshop at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
in February and March of 2008. In June 2009, Brady took part in the 2009 NFL/NFLPA "Broadcast Boot Camp," a program designed by the NFL Broadcasting Department and their broadcast partners to prepare players for possible post-playing careers in broadcasting.
Brady was hired by the Big Ten Network as a football analyst for the 2009 season, where he is partnered with Rick Pizzo on the Big Ten Football Saturday: Pre-Game Show.
article noted Brady is a U.S. Civil War buff.
On March 21, 2009, he threw out the first pitch
at opening day ceremonies for the Green Cove Springs
Athletic Association Little League Baseball. Brady will be the honorary chairman of the 2009 Big 33 Football Classic
.
As of August 2010, Brady has enrolled at the Florida Coastal School of Law
, located in Jacksonville, Florida
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He played tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
for 13 seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. He was the Jets' first round draft choice in the 1995 NFL Draft
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
.
Early years
While attending Cedar Cliff High SchoolCedar Cliff High School
Cedar Cliff High School is a coeducational public high school located in Camp Hill, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and is one of two high schools in the West Shore School District. It was formed in 1960 with the merger of West Shore High School and New Cumberland High School. The Cedar Cliff...
in Camp Hill
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 2 miles southwest of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,636 at the 2000 census...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Brady lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a first team USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
All-USA selection, a Parade Magazine
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
All-America selection and, as a senior, was the Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
Pennsylvania Player of the Year, and the recipient of the Bobby Dodd Award (which is given to the nation's top offensive lineman) given by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta.
College career
At Penn StatePennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, Brady was a two-time All-Big Ten selection, and a consensus All-America choice as a senior. During his senior year in 1994, he helped his team to an undefeated record
Penn State Nittany Lions football under Joe Paterno (in the Big Ten)
Joe Paterno is a former head coach of Penn State Nittany Lions football. Paterno served as head coach from the retirement of Rip Engle after the 1965 season until he was fired on November 9, 2011, in the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal...
, a conference championship, and the school's first Rose Bowl victory. He was ranked seventh in the all-time reception list for the school. He graduated with a degree in exercise and sports science in 1995.
New York Jets
Brady was selected by the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the first round (9th overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
, much to the chagrin of the Jets fans in attendance. The fans wanted the team to draft Warren Sapp
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp is a retired American football player who played defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his 13 year professional career, and college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was then...
and showed it by chanting "We want Sapp! We want Sapp!"
Jacksonville Jaguars
Brady went on to sign with the Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1999 and had his best year in the NFL with the Jaguars as he, in the 2000
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
season, set career highs with 64 receptions and 729 receiving yards. He was the Jaguars' Man of the Year in 2003. Brady had a reputation with the Jags as a very durable player, having only missed nine games in his twelve seasons in the NFL, and was also known as an outstanding blocker.
New England Patriots
His reputation as a durable blocker helped him to land a two-year contract on March 3, 2007 with the New England Patriots to replace departing free agent Daniel GrahamDaniel Graham
Daniel Lawrence Grahamhttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahDa00.htm is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
at tight end. Patriots coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
was known to have been enamored with Brady dating back to 1995 while he was head coach of the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Belichick had reportedly planned to draft Brady that year with the 10th pick—one pick after the Jets drafted him. When Brady was selected, Belichick traded down to the 30th pick. One website went as far as to label Brady "Belichick's white whale
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
."
Despite nagging injuries, Brady played In 14 games for the Patriots in 2007
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, catching nine passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns, culminating with Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
. He was released by New England on February 29, 2008, and retired shortly thereafter.
Broadcasting
Brady was a participant in the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program, a two-week program held at the top American business schoolBusiness school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
s for NFL players preparing for careers after football. Brady attended the workshop at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
in February and March of 2008. In June 2009, Brady took part in the 2009 NFL/NFLPA "Broadcast Boot Camp," a program designed by the NFL Broadcasting Department and their broadcast partners to prepare players for possible post-playing careers in broadcasting.
Brady was hired by the Big Ten Network as a football analyst for the 2009 season, where he is partnered with Rick Pizzo on the Big Ten Football Saturday: Pre-Game Show.
Personal
Brady and his wife Kristi have a son, Kellen and a daughter, Brooke. A 2004 Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
article noted Brady is a U.S. Civil War buff.
On March 21, 2009, he threw out the first pitch
Ceremonial first pitch
The ceremonial first ball is a longstanding ritual of American baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from his/her place in the grandstand to the pitcher or catcher of the home team...
at opening day ceremonies for the Green Cove Springs
Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs is a city in Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,908. It is the county seat of Clay County....
Athletic Association Little League Baseball. Brady will be the honorary chairman of the 2009 Big 33 Football Classic
Big 33 Football Classic
The Big 33 Football Classic is an all-star American football game featuring the top high-school football players in Pennsylvania. Played since 1957, the game is often described as the "Super Bowl of High School Football." The last 14 contests have pitted players from Pennsylvania against players...
.
As of August 2010, Brady has enrolled at the Florida Coastal School of Law
Florida Coastal School of Law
Florida Coastal School of Law is a private law school in Jacksonville, Florida. Established in 1996, the school is owned by the for-profit educational investment fund InfiLaw....
, located in Jacksonville, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.