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via Reuters

via Reuters

It takes a real blade smith to forge the strongest steel. Often, the best all-round smiths do not come with a branded tag. An inspirational example of the same is 7x SB champ Tom Brady and a former MLB left fielder legend. The two most notable athletes graduated from the same high school.

This lesser-known institution in California helped Brady and the baseball GOAT become the best versions of themselves. The same place was where the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB and the 8x Gold Glove Award-winner began their respective football and baseball careers, albeit not at the same point in time.

Tom Brady’s high-school tapes drew attention from prestigious football programs

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NFL’s most accomplished player, Tom Brady grew up in San Mateo, California, and attended the Jun?pero Serra High School. The 5x SB MVP became famous as one of the best baseball players in his school. But then Brady listened to his heart and chose football over baseball. The New England Patriots revolutionary QB initially struggled to be noticed by university coaches.

The 3x NFL MVP realized that it was “time for a little marketing.” His father Tom Brady Sr. layer explained in an interview: “We had some great tapes and collated them into his abilities and then we had it verified by his quarterback guru…I think there were 54 schools.”

USA Today via Reuters

Brady secured 236 out of 447 passes for 3,702 yards and 31 touchdowns in his high school career. He also won the All-State and All-Far West honors and the team’s Most Valuable Player Award. The NFL veteran QB’s father added that “football-wise, he had a cannon for an arm.”

These tapes got the attention of Michigan’s Assistant Bill Harris. Before graduating in 1995, the prestigious university picked Brady, leading to another set of accolades. He is often credited for the ‘Patriots dynasty’ from 2001 to 2019. This was an era when the team won a record-breaking 21 consecutive games in both regular and playoff seasons. The former QB also holds a record of 10 postseason wins during this time.

Also Read: ?Broke a Few Windows?: Tom Brady?s Unknown Job Experience Before NFL Days Revealed During Visit to Hundreds Of?Entrepreneurs

Then came the three legendary seasons with Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady won 7 SB titles during his 22-season career before retiring in Feb 2023. It’s his school that shaped Brady into the best version of himself. Well, there’s another athlete who proudly remains an alumnus of this school.

MLB Star Barry Bonds graduated from Brady’s school in 1982

Legendary home run slugger, Barry Bonds graduated from the same high school in 1982. Brady’s high school super senior, Bonds also had a fond love for football and baseball. However, he chose baseball instead. The 14x All-Star champ played on Jun?pero Serra High School’s junior varsity team during freshman year and moved to the varsity team in the later years.

The then-newly established Giants picked the all-time home run hitter in the 1982 MLB draft as a high school senior. Despite being a star player, Barry decided to attend college due to contractual differences. While he continued to play baseball at Arizona University alongside Criminology, Bonds’s incredible yet short MLB career with Pittsburgh Pirates began in 1985.

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via Imago

Ironically, the Giants that went on to become the San Francisco Giants signed the power-hitter in 1993 at a whopping $43.75 million (equivalent to $92.37 million in 2023). During his 22-season career with this team, Bonds broke St. Louis Cardinals’ Mark McGwire‘s single-season record of 70 home runs. His record stood at 177, which surpassed the New York Yankees’ Babe Ruth‘s record of 170. These were just a few of the achievements of the 7x NL MVP champ.

Tom Brady and Barry Bonds both have their names on the Jun?pero Serra High School Hall of Fame. Other former MLB players who graduated from this school include?Gregg Jefferies?and?Jim Fregosi.

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Did you know about the above? Share in the comments if there’s more to add to their history.

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