By now, most are familiar with Tom Brady’s story.
Prior to his five Super Bowl championships and numerous other accolades, Brady was just a quarterback whom no one really wanted — so much so that 198 players were picked before him in the 2000 NFL Draft.
One of those players was Matt Bowen. You’ve probably never heard of him, and for good reason. The journeyman played for four teams over the course of six years in the NFL. But Bowen holds a unique tie to the New England Patriots quarterback, as he was the player selected one pick before Brady, at No. 198.
Now a decade removed from the league, Bowen understands his place in NFL history.
“But for the rest of my life, I’ll always be known as the guy taken right before Tom Brady,” Bowen told Sports Illustrated’s Emily Kaplan. “It’s been attached to me. It’s something you talk about at parties. It’s kind of become a thing.”
Brady and Bowen shared a bond before their arrival to the NFL, though. While Brady quarterbacked the Michigan Wolverines, Bowen was a safety for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Their teams squared off in 1998, and as you could imagine, Brady got the best of Bowen, beating him for the lone touchdown in a 12-9 Michigan victory.
“I remember everything,” Bowen said. “He beat me on an inside slant route to Tai Streets. If I would’ve kept my shoulders square, instead of guessing, it would have been fine. But Tom smoked me.”
But just a few years later, Bowen exacted his revenge. In 2001, Brady, now the Patriots’ starting quarterback, was trying to get a late score on the Green Bay Packers before halftime. Bowen, then with the Packers, undercut a Deion Branch route for his first career pick.
“I got a great jump on the ball and we both get our hands on the throw at the catch point,” Bowen said. “The ball kind of pops up. So I just stick my hand back to get a piece of it and pulled it in. Some real luck involved, but I’ll take it. That’s my first career interception.”
Bowen now serves as a sports journalist, having been featured in multiple notable outlets such as the Chicago Tribune and Bleacher Report. He also is an assistant football coach at IC Catholic High School, which he helped lead to a 14-0 record and a state title this season.
So, while Brady hoisted his fifth Lombardi Trophy this year, Bowen earned some hardware, too.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
