Patrick Thomas Brady (September 7, 1926 – July 14, 2009) was an American

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a quarterback and punter for the

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...

and later for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

Early years

Brady attended Nevada-Reno from 1948 until 1951, first as a quarterback and then as a punter. On October 28, 1950 against

Loyola Marymount Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

, Brady had a punt of 99 yards, the longest possible under the rules, a record that cannot be broken and has never been tied. Brady completed his collegiate career at and graduated from

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

in 1951, after Nevada cancelled its 1951 season due to budget shortfalls.

Career

After spending the 1951 season in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

, Brady played for the Steelers during the 1952, 1953, and 1954 seasons, leading the league in punting in 1953 and 1954 and averaging 44.5 yards for his three years. A torn

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

during the 1955 pre-season ended his career. After football, Brady moved back to Reno and worked in the printing industry. In 1971, he was appointed the official State Printer by Governor

Mike O'Callaghan Donal Neil "Mike" O'Callaghan (September 10, 1929 March 5, 2004) was an American politician and educator who served as the 23rd Governor of Nevada from 1971 to 1979. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Early life Born in La Crosse, Wisc ...

. Brady was a part-owner of Reno's Bonanza Casino for many years, and was also on the Nevada Boxing Commission.

Recognition

Brady was inducted into the Bradley Hall of Fame on February 23, 1955 and later the Nevada Hall of Fame in 1979. He was also named to the Steelers 50th Anniversary team in 1982.

Death

Brady died on July 14, 2009 in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

after a long battle with

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlar ...

.Hall of Famer Pat Brady dies at 83
''

Reno Gazette-Journal The ''Reno Gazette Journal'' is the main daily newspaper for Reno, Nevada. It is owned and operated by the Gannett Company. It came into being when the ''Nevada State Journal'' (founded on November 23, 1870) and the ''Reno Evening Gazette'' (fou ...

''. Retrieved on July 15, 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brady, Pat 1926 births 2009 deaths Players of American football from Seattle Players of Canadian football from Seattle American players of Canadian football American football quarterbacks American football punters Nevada Wolf Pack football players Bradley Braves football players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Pittsburgh Steelers players Deaths from lymphoma Deaths from cancer in Nevada