Drew Christopher Brees was selected 32nd overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. Here's the 10 Facts You Didn't Know About Drew Brees.
10. Brees was born to Eugene Wilson “Chip” Brees II, a prominent trial lawyer, and Mina Ruth, an attorney.
A “Sports Illustrated” article stated Brees was named after Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson, but in a 2014 interview, Brees said this story was “just legend.” He has a younger brother named Reid. He also has a younger half-sister, Audrey, from his father’s remarriage to Amy Hightower.
9. Brees did not play “tackle football” until high school and was on the flag football team at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, where his teammates included actor Benjamin McKenzie, who was in the same year.
In high school, Brees was a varsity letterman in baseball, basketball, and football, and he was considering playing college baseball rather than football. College recruiters quickly ran after Brees blew out his knee in the 11th grade.
Related: Michael Thomas
8. After overcoming an ACL tear during his junior year, he was selected as Texas High School 5A Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1996 and led the Westlake High School football team to a 16-0 record and state championship.
He had hoped to follow his father and uncle’s footsteps and play for the Texas Longhorns or Texas A&M Aggies, but was not heavily recruited despite his stellar high school record.
7. Brees received offers from only two colleges, Purdue and Kentucky, choosing Purdue for its highly rated academics.
He graduated in 2001 with a degree in industrial management, and is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He had the option to make himself available for the 2000 NFL Draft, but chose to return for his senior year to complete his studies.
6. Drew Brees NFL Draft
His college success led to projections that he would be a mid-late first-round draft pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, but he slipped due to concerns about his relatively short stature for a professional quarterback (6สน), a perceived lack of arm strength, and a sense that he succeeded in college in a spread offense.
He was selected by the San Diego Chargers and was the second quarterback taken in the 2001 NFL Draft, behind Michael Vick.
5. In the last game of the 2005 NFL regular season, against the Denver Broncos, Brees tore his labrum while trying to pick up his own fumble after being hit by Broncos safety John Lynch.
Denver tackle Gerard Warren hit Brees while he was on the ground, causing the injury. After the season, the Chargers offered Brees a 5-year, $50 million contract that paid $2 million in base salary the first year and the rest heavily based on performance incentives.
He evaluated the incentive-based offer as a sign of no confidence by the Chargers and promptly demanded the salary a top 5 “franchise” quarterback would receive.
Related: Alvin Kamara
4. After the Chargers refused to increase their offer, he met with other teams.
The New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins were interested in him. New Orleans made an offer that included $10 million in guaranteed money the first year and a $12 million option the second year.
Miami was unsure if his shoulder was completely healed and doctors suggested the team not sign him because of the injury.
The Dolphins ended negotiations and traded for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper instead.
Brees signed a 6-year, $60 million deal with the Saints on March 14, 2006.
Related: Ben Roethlisberger
3. Brees married his college sweetheart Brittany Dudchenko in February 2003.
They have three sons: Baylen, Bowen, and Callen, and a daughter, Rylen. The four priorities in Brees’s life are faith, family, football, and philanthropy; otherwise known as the “four F’s” by Brees. He was raised a Christian, but stated that he only became committed at age 17 when he was at church with a torn ACL and was wondering who he was and what was his purpose in life.
2. He has a birthmark on his right cheek, but it was so often confused for a patch of dirt that girls dancing with Brees would sometimes lick their fingers and try to wipe it off.
When he was 3 years old, his parents considered having the birthmark removed, but doctors said that there was no harm in keeping it and suggested that Brees had been kissed by an angel.
The birthmark caused a lot of harassment from classmates, who would ask him, “What happened to your face?” or called it a roach, a leech, or a turd.
When he was in college and made the Playboy All-American team, the magazine airbrushed the birthmark from a photo that it ran.
In his book, “Coming Back Stronger”, Brees wrote about his birthmark: “It’s just a part of who I am. If I had been forced to remove it, I would have been devastated.”
1. Brees’s mother died on August 7, 2009 at age 59 from a prescription drug overdose. The death was ruled a suicide.
In 2006, Brees described their relationship as “nonexistent” ever since he refused to hire his mother as his agent when he entered the NFL. He wears #9 on his jersey in honor of baseball player Ted Williams.
Ted Williams played for the Red Sox until he went to serve in the military during World War II. Williams was Brees’s idol growing up, and Brees decided to honor his legacy. Before most games, Brees gets texts from Archie Manning in hopes to encourage Brees and make the Saints win. Brees is highly allergic to wheat and dairy.
That’s all 10 Facts You Didn't Know About Drew Brees, tell us if you think Drew Brees is better than Tom Brady!