Greatest Underdogs in Sports History

The NFL has been a goldmine for underdogs thanks in part to the undeniable difficulty in evaluating players during draft season. It’s the only reason Tom Brady—a four-year quarterback out of Michigan—was taken in the sixth round (199th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Brady, who was once as low as seventh on the quarterback depth chart at Michigan, was possessed to prove all those who doubted him wrong, and got his big chance in Week 2 of the 2001 NFL season when starter Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury.

Brady took over and never looked back—leading New England to its first Super Bowl title and becoming the then-youngest quarterback to ever win the big game. He has since added two more Super Bowl rings and two MVP trophies to his resume, and will go down as one of the game’s greatest all-time players. (Just not in the minds of Giants fans.)