New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady considers Tom Martinez his mentor and has worked with him over the years to clean up his mechanics. Because Martinez is unable to travel due to his ailing health, Brady, the New England Patriots star quarterback whose team takes on the Giants next Sunday in a repeat of Super Bowl XLII, visits his lifelong mentor in his California home to discuss his game.
Brady has known the highly-regarded quarterback coach since he was a young boy and credits the 68-year-old with teaching him the basics and intricacies of quarterbacking that have led him to a fifth Super Bowl.
With more than 1,400 career victories, Martinez is the most successful community college coach in the history of California and perhaps the nation. At College of San Mateo he served as Head Football Coach for five years and Offensive Coordinator many years after. He was the 1995 California Community Coach of the Year, a San Mateo Hall of Famer, and a member of the State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. He also holds numerous other honorary posts.
In addition to Brady, Martinez coached NFL hall of fame quarterback, John Elway, who played his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos.
Martinez, who has suffered from complications brought on by diabetes for years, is now gravely ill. Brady has been doing all he can to help his beloved mentor, beginning with an appeal on his Facebook page which drastically raised the profile of Martinez's kidney search through publicizing MatchingDonors.com, an organization that finds living altruistic organ donors for patients needing transplants. The nonprofit's CEO, Paul Dooley, said "Brady's support saw an increase in the number of potential donors who have come forward.While none proved a match for Martinez," Dooley said "they may provide a lifeline for one of the other thousands of people searching for donors." More than 110,000 patients currently are waiting for an organ transplant in the US. . "Tom is a great guy,” said Dooley, “and has given us great visibility."
When you watch the Super Bowl Sunday, take a moment to credit Tom Martinez for fine tuning Brady's game.
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