New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his teammates are playing the Detroit Lions on Thursday night, and Brady paid a visit to his old stomping grounds in Ann Arbor on Thursday morning.
Brady is close with Michigan coach Brady Hoke, who had a hand in recruiting him. While Hoke generally is given credit for signing Brady, he told the New York Times in September 2011 that then-assistant "Billy Harris really did it. I went out late and he was pretty much done and signed."
Brady was a two-year starter for the Wolverines (1998 and '99), leading Michigan to bowl wins over Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl in '98 and over Alabama in the Orange Bowl in '99. Hoke was the Wolverines' defensive line coach during Brady's time at Michigan.
When Hoke was named coach in January 2011, one of his first congratulatory phone calls was from Brady.
Thursday morning, Brady was in Ann Arbor for about two hours. He toured Crisler Center and also visited Michigan Stadium and Schembechler Hall, the location of the football offices, where he visited with Hoke and talked to the team. He then left for a Patriots team meeting. Ann Arbor is about 45 miles from Detroit.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
