Jamal Crawford and Tom Brady: A Tale of Two Michigan StarsJamal Crawford and Tom Brady: A Tale of Two Michigan Stars In the annals of college sports, Jamal Crawford and Tom Brady stand as two of the most famous athletes to have graced the University of Michigan campus. However, their paths to stardom were as divergent as the sports they would eventually conquer. Crawford, a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner, spent just one season in college, averaging 16.6 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. While his brief collegiate career was impressive, it was not enough to eclipse the fame of Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion. Brady spent five years at Michigan, but unlike Crawford, he was far from an instant star. In fact, he spent his first three years on the quarterback depth chart. When he finally got his chance to start, he had to fend off the challenge of Drew Henson, a two-sport prodigy who was also a prospect for the New York Yankees. Explaining Brady’s journey in the podcast, Crawford recalled, “Brady hadn’t even started his freshman year yet. This guy named Drew Henson, he was a Yankees pitcher and he had a lot of hype. So they started him at quarterback. And the team manager says, ‘Man, I’m telling you, if they play Brady, I say it’ll change everything.'” Crawford’s prediction proved true. Brady emerged as a force during his freshman year, leading the Wolverines to a 20-5 record as a starting quarterback. He also helped them win the Citrus Bowl against Arkansas and the Orange Bowl against Alabama. Despite his impressive performance, Brady had to wait until the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft to hear his name called. His journey to legitimacy as an athlete began at Michigan and continued until he reached the NFL. Crawford, on the other hand, was more famous at Michigan than Brady during their only year together. “I’m not saying this to brag,” he said, “but I went to school with Tom Brady. I was more popular on campus than him at the time, because Drew Hansen was a quarterback there, and he was going to like the guy.” Crawford’s popularity was short-lived, however. Brady’s rise to stardom in the NFL dwarfed Crawford’s success in the NBA. Brady’s seven Super Bowls, two more than any player in history, solidified his legacy as the greatest quarterback of all time. Today, Jamal Crawford and Tom Brady stand as two of the most decorated athletes to come out of the University of Michigan. Their paths to greatness may have been different, but they both left their mark on the sporting landscape, proving that even the most unassuming of beginnings can lead to extraordinary achievements.
Like many NBA greats, three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner Jamal Crawford spent just one season in college. The retired guard enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1999 and averaged 16.6 points, 4.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds before declaring for the 2000 NBA draft. However, he is not the most famous athlete leaving Michigan that year. That distinction belongs to Tom Brady.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion spent five years in college, but unlike Crawford, he wasn’t a star from the start. Brady spent his first three years at Michigan on the program’s quarterback depth chart. When he finally got his chance, he had to fend off a two-sport prodigy who was employed by the New York Yankees and was looking for his job.
Explaining what happened during his and Brady’s only year together at Michigan, Crawford said on the Captain Jack Podcast:
“Brady hasn’t even started his freshman year yet. This guy named Drew Henson, he was a Yankees pitcher and he had a lot of hype. So they started him at quarterback. And the team manager says, ‘Man, I’m telling you, if they play Brady, I say it’ll change everything.’ And they started playing him his freshman year, I think, and man, he took off.
In two seasons as the starting quarterback, Brady led the Michigan Wolverines to a 20-5 record. He helped them win the 1999 Citrus Bowl against Arkansas and the 2000 Orange Bowl against college football powerhouse Alabama.
Crawford noted that despite the quarterback’s exceptional two-year stint as Michigan’s starter, he had to wait until the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft before hearing his name called.
Brady’s quest to build legitimacy as an athlete began the day he enrolled at Michigan and didn’t end until he reached the NFL. His struggles ended after he replaced Drew Bledsoe as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback and led the franchise to three Super Bowls in four years.
However, he was so underrated during his time at Michigan that Crawford, who spent just one year in college, had built more fame than the quarterback.
Jamal Crawford was more famous than Tom Brady at Michigan
During a performance at the Draymond Green show, the retired guard claimed he was more popular at the University of Michigan than Brady during their only year together in the program. He said,
“True story. I’m not saying this to brag, I went to school with Tom Brady. I was more popular on campus than him at the time, because Drew Hansen was a quarterback there, and he was going to like the guy. So yeah , it’s crazy to see the formula. That’s crazy, I think.”
Crawford would have remained the most famous alumni to leave the university in 2000 if scouts’ predictions about Brady’s future had come true. But they are a country mile off. He played 24 seasons in the NFL and owns virtually every quarterback record.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/SGPUL52SQVHA5O4V27BKXEWIXQ.jpg)
