By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Don’t believe it.
Don’t believe any of it.
It’s not true.
Tom Brady is not divorced.
The first Tom Brady
He’s married – and working at Thomas More University.
Yes, Tom Brady is the Associate Director of Development for Athletic Fundraising for the Saints.
“I’ve been at Thomas More for about a year-and-a-half,” he told the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
The 55-year-old Brady – a Cincinnati native – is raising money for athletics for the school.
And he never played football in the National Football League.
The newly created full-time position has Brady, supporting resources for the 750-plus student-athletes at the Crestview Hills university.
For starters – he’s created The All-Saints Club.
His name, he says, is a “tremendous attention grabber,” when knocking on doors for prospective supporters.
Yet, he does admit the Tom Brady moniker can also be nuisance.
“I was a big Notre Dame fan,” said the grad of Indiana’s St. Joseph’s College in Indiana, “and his four years at Michigan were rough on me.”
He remembers, however, when he did travel to Boston on business, he was treated quite nicely.
“I got hotel upgrades, and could book dinner just about anywhere in town,” he said.
While his namesake is on the football field, this Tom Brady is raising awareness for Thomas More athletics daily – for all 30 sports.
Those sports also include cheerleading, band, bowling and a championship rugby team that won the NCAA Division II crown last season, and is undefeated this fall.
The growth at the school is amazing, he says.
“We participate in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) now,” he said, “and next year our teams move into the Great Midwest Collegiate Conference, an NCAA Division II league.”
No matter the league, regardless of the competition, the Thomas More women’s basketball team seems to shine.
They won their third national title last season, and the polls have them picked No. 1 in the country for this year.
The men’s team is ranked second in the nation.
Tom Brady’s job is to let the public know about their feats – get people involved – and support the programs.
The Second Century Program will go a long way on campus to achieve those goals.
“It’s a $30 million project,” he said, “with construction of a new Academic Building and improving the existing athletic facilities.”
Ground-breaking on the Academic Building has already commenced.
As for facilities, Brady boasts that the Thomas More baseball team will have perhaps the best in NCAA Division II.
“We signed a five-year deal at Thomas More Stadium, the home of the Florence Y’alls,” he said. “We’re also raising funds for a new softball stadium, and perhaps even a practice facility.”
Tapping into potential donors for the Crestview Hills university isn’t an overwhelming process, Brady explains.
“About 80 percent of our alums are located in the Tri-state,” he said, “They know us, have pride in their school, and follow our growth.”
Brady’s goal – to build membership in the All Saints Club. “It’s the best opportunity to support our athletic teams,” he said, “And donors can direct their funds to any given team.”
TMU’s Tom Brady — the name gets attention
The Chalk-Talk sessions are also Brady’s brainchild.
“We have various coaches, and several of their athletes meet in the evening with supporters, boosters and donors,” he said. “We get about 30-40 people in an informal setting and meet in the Hall of Fame Room in the Convocation Center, on campus.”
He says the sessions give the athletes the opportunity to talk about Thomas More, as well as athletics.
The sessions are free.
“Athletics,” he said, “are not the most important thing we do at Thomas More, but they are the most visible.”
So is Tom Brady.
“My cold calls get people’s attention,” he said, “they ask, ‘Is this really Tom Brady?’”
It is.
“I was Tom Brady first,” he said. “I’m older.”
To access and donate and to become a member of The All-Saints Club: www.thomasmore.edu/athletics.
