“My Family Had Season Tickets”: Tom Brady Revisits Growing Up During the San Francisco 49ers Dynasty

Other than the two teams he played for during his 23-year career, Tom Brady always had a soft spot for the San Francisco 49ers. Growing up in San Mateo, California, right in the heart of the Bay Area, Brady was a Niners fan through and through. He regularly attended their games and naturally fell in love with quarterback Joe Montana.

At just four years old, Brady was in the stands for the 1981 NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, the night San Francisco sealed the win with Dwight Clark’s beautiful game-winning catch. It was a moment that stuck with Brady. In fact, he later paid tribute to Clark in 2018 after the former wide receiver passed away, sharing a heartfelt Instagram post.

In his note, Brady recalled crying during that NFC title game. He was too small to see over the crowd, with taller fans blocking his view. So, with that kind of childhood fandom, it feels only fitting that Brady is the narrator for AMC’s docuseries, Rise of the 49ers.

With the series set to release on February 1 and 2, Brady recently opened up about what it was like growing up during the 49ers’ dynasty in a teaser video. In the one-minute clip, Brady talked about his family’s love for the team, their weekly trips to games, and how those early memories shaped his love for the sport.

“My family had season tickets to the San Francisco 49ers, and that alone made me fall in love with football,” Brady said after showing his father’s name (Thomas E Brady) listed among the Niners Boosters.

Brady then added, “I grew up in San Mateo, California, a few miles away from Candlestick Park. We sat five rows from the top of the stadium. We had four season tickets and we made our entire Sunday out of going to the 49ers games. I grew up with the 49ers and their dynasty… the dynasty that changed the NFL forever.”

As Brady spoke in the teaser video, a few snapshots from his childhood in 49ers gear flashed on the screen, mixed in with some of the franchise’s most iconic plays.

For Brady, it must feel pretty surreal. He is now narrating a story about the very team he grew up idolizing, even though that same franchise passed on him six times in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Still, as an executive producer of the docuseries, this is no longer about holding grudges. And, even the Patriots passed on Brady five times before selecting him 199th overall. At some point, you let bygones be bygones.

The irony, however, does not stop there. The 49ers also passed on Brady again during the 2020 free agency period, only to watch him go on and win a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers. Meanwhile, San Fran is still chasing its first title since 1995. Brady: 1, 49ers: 0.