Tom Brady Recalls How He Fell in Love with Football as a 49ers Fan When He Was a Kid (Exclusive)
- - Tom Brady Recalls How He Fell in Love with Football as a 49ers Fan When He Was a Kid (Exclusive)
Brian Anthony HernandezJanuary 31, 2026 at 8:30 PM
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Tom Brady discusses what made him “fall in love with football” as a kid in the new Rise of the 49ers docuseries
In an exclusive clip of the documentary’s opening scene, a young Brady can be seen wearing San Francisco 49ers gear
Brady, now a father of three, went on to win seven Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady never played for the San Francisco 49ers during his 23-season NFL career — but he did express his profound love for the team as a kid.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion discusses what inspired him to play football in the upcoming Rise of the 49ers documentary, as heard in the opening scene in a video shared exclusively with PEOPLE ahead of the docuseries’ two-day release on AMC and AMC+ on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2.
“My family had season tickets to the San Francisco 49ers, and that alone made me fall in love with football,” said the legendary New England Patriots quarterback, 48. “I grew up in San Mateo, Calif., a few miles away from Candlestick Park. We sat five rows from the top of the stadium.”
Tom Brady; Brady as kid in San Francisco 49ers gear
AMC+
The father of three, who serves as the narrator for Rise of the 49ers, continued in the clip, “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.”
Brady famously attended the 1981 NFC Championship game with his parents when the 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 28-27. The docuseries shows a photo of a young Brady crying in his mom’s arms.
“I was 4 years old and cried to my parents the entire first half because I couldn’t see the field when the grownups would stand and scream for the 49ers,” Brady shared in 2018 in an Instagram tribute to 49er Dwight Clark.
Tom Brady (with his mom) when he was 4 years old at the 1981 NFC Championship
Tom Brady/Facebook
Inspired by 49ers greats such as Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Steve Young, Brady went on to make a name for himself in the NFL, playing 20 seasons with the Patriots and three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Patriots drafted Brady in 2000 after he played college football at the University of Michigan. He won six Super Bowls with the Patriots, before winning one more championship with the Buccaneers in 2021.
Following that seventh Super Bowl victory, Brady initially retired in 2022; however, he returned to play one more season with the Buccaneers, before retiring for good in 2023 after that season ended.
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Tom Brady and Brixton York at the 49ers vs. Seahawks game on Jan. 17, 2026
Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty
Still a 49ers fan, Brady not only narrated Rise of the 49ers, he also co-produced the sports docuseries alongside AMC Studios and Skydance Sports, NFL Films and Religion of Sports.
The first two episodes of Rise of the 49ers — directed by Ryan Kelly and Nick Mascolo — premiere on Feb. 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC and AMC+, with the final two episodes releasing on Feb. 2.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
