Feb 7, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) hoists the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Raiders' Tom Brady on Opening Hall of Excellence

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Before Tom Brady became the Las Vegas Raiders' minority owner, he was the best quarterback in the National Football League. Brady is seen by many as the greatest quarterback of all time. And how he did it was something we will probably never see once again. Brady won a total of seven Super Bowls during his Hall of Fame career. Brady is a legend, and he tells how he did it.

“Early in my career, I wasn’t thinking about collections; I was just trying to make the team,” writes Brady to Sports Illustrated, in an email exchange last week. He follows that sentence with a crying/laughing emoji. He knew. Even then.

“… over time, you realize certain moments carry weight. I started saving jerseys, helmets and handwritten notes from teammates. Not because they were valuable, but because they held meaning to me. They were relics!”

"Brady would adapt his process to curate the (more and more) history he made as time went on and his fame went up," said Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated. "He focused less on milestones and more on memories that mattered to both him and those around him. He still has many of those items—a lot, he writes—at his house. But he doesn’t have as many as he used to, not with the Hall of Excellence opening Wednesday at The Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The museum will be open to the public on Friday."

"This is the Hall of Excellence: a sports museum from a partnership between Brady and the Tom Brady Family Collection, the hotel, sportscaster Jim Gray and his wife, Frann. She watched as Jim collected hundreds of items over 40-plus years. She not only put up with the volume and scarcity of the items but also helped choose which ones to include in the museum."

"The significance of excellence, history and sports played a significant role in both hitting Brady from various angles at various points along his transformation to the greatest quarterback—most would say football player—who ever lived. He was a sports fan, first. In childhood, in San Mateo, Calif., he collected cards, devoured games and—his words—read stories in Sports Illustrated. “When I got a chance to live out my dream on the field, I never forgot what it felt like to be inspired by greatness,” he writes.

“When you walk through the Hall, you’re seeing America evolve—through culture, music, film, even fashion,” Brady writes. “We have Jackie Robinson breaking barriers, Muhammad Ali taking a stand, Serena changing the conversation. These aren’t just items on display, they’re moments that shaped generations …”

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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