Drew Brees- The Former NFL Quarterback’s Biography
Who is Drew Brees?
Drew Brees is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for 20 seasons.
Drew Brees is known for being polite, professional, and equally dependable on the field. This is the reason he has been able to build a fandom around himself.
Drew Brees has had a long and hard NFL journey to reach the top position in football. He is a true fighter and a person who never gives up.
There were speculations that Drew Brees would not be able to play football again after he suffered a severe shoulder injury. However, he showed the world what a star he was with his remarkable comeback.
So, today in this article, we have collected all the personal and professional information about the former NFL footballer, Drew Brees. We are sure you will find some unknown facts about Brees that amaze you.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Drew Christopher Brees |
| Nickname | Drew |
| Birthday | January 15, 1979 |
| Age | 44 years old |
| Sun sign | Capricorn |
| Traits | Positive- Loyal, Practical, and Disciplined Negative- Insensitive, Egoistic, and Condescending |
| Birthplace | Dallas, Texas, USA |
| Currently residing | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Parents | Eugene Wilson “Chip” Brees II (Father) Mina Ruth (Mother) Amy Hightower (Stepmother) |
| Grandparents | Robert Ray Akins (Grandfather) Dorothy Virginia Schultz (Grandmother) |
| Siblings | Reid Brees (Brother) Audrey Brees (Half-sister) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Brittany Brees |
| Children | Baylen Robert Brees Bowen Christopher Brees Callen Christian Brees Rylen Judith Brees |
| Education | Degree in Industrial Management from Purdue University |
| Profession | Footballer |
| Net Worth | USD 160 million |
| Social media | Instagram |
Interesting facts
- Drew Brees was born with a large birthmark on his cheek. Growing up, he often wished his parents had it removed. However, he now considers it a part of himself and is glad they left it.
- Drew is short for Andrew as his parents called him Drew for Drew Pearson, the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver.
- The star footballer was named the 2006 co-Walter Payton Man of the year with his friend LaDainian Tomlinson for his work in charity.
- Brees co-wrote his autobiography Coming Back Stronger, which opened at number 3 on the New York Times bestseller list.
- Drew was also on the cover of the video game Madden NFL 11.
- Despite his credentials, Brees was not highly recruited. He hoped to play for Texas A&M, but an offer never came. The University of Texas also rejected him. Only two schools made scholarship offers to Brees: Purdue and Kentucky.
- In 2010, President Obama named Brees to be the co-chair of the President Council of Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, which was started by the President’s wife, Michelle.
Early Life and Childhood
Drew Brees was born in Dallas, Texas, on January 15, 1979, to Eugene Wilson Brees II and Mina Ruth. When Brees was seven, his parents divorced and shared the custody of their children.
Brees admits that it was a very tough and challenging life after the divorce. However, Brees and his younger brother supported each other and became close.
Since both of Brees’s parents had an athletic background, he also developed an early interest in sports. Drew attended the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and graduated from Austin Westlake High School.
Later, he graduated with a degree in industrial management from Purdue University. Then he joined Stanford Graduate School for his further education.
Siblings
Drew Brees is the eldest child in the family. He has a younger brother, Reid Brees, who was an outfielder for the Baylor Bears baseball team, making the 2005 College World Series.
From Drew Brees’s father’s remarriage to Amy Highwater, Audrey Brees is his younger half-sister. She is a senior digital producer at Turner Sports and resides in Atlanta, GA.
Romantic Affairs and Relationship
Brittany Brees (Wife)
Brittany Brees was born on September 18, 1976, in Syracuse, Indiana, USA. Her parents, Peter Dudchenko and Kathleen Ann, raised Brittany in a loving environment.
She attended Syracuse’s Wawasee High School, after which she enrolled at Purdue University to get a higher degree. Brittany is a philanthropist and a model by profession.
Here is the full biography of Drew Brees’s wife, Brittany Brees.
How did Drew Brees and Brittany Brees meet?
The love story of this beautiful couple is nothing short of a fairy tale. The two lovebirds met during their college days at Purdue University in the late 1990s.
Drew was a sophomore quarterback at Purdue and Brittany a junior when she caught Brees’s eye. He recalled his first meeting with Brittany in an interview with ESPN the Magazine and said,
“I made a real fool of myself when I first met her. It was my 20th birthday and I’d about 17 shots and put my foot in my mouth. It was a typical football player cheesy line- we’ll leave at that. Took me six months to get the courage to talk to her again. I finagled my way to get invited to a party that I knew she’d be at.”
When the two finally went on their first date, they brought along friends. Then they went to the movies, where Drew’s friends started throwing Gummy Bears at the screen!
Their love blossomed, and they were in a committed relationship for over 20 years. Finally, in a small ceremony in Colorado, California, the lovely couple tied their knots in February 2003.
Drew Brees and Brittany Brees charity works
Drew and Brittany are heavily involved in charity works. They have co-founded the Brees Dream Foundation, which aims to improve cancer patients’ lives.
However, the foundation also aids the victims of hurricanes and helps underprivileged youths achieve their potential. This foundation has contributed more than USD 45 million to charitable causes such as academic institutions.
Additionally, the duo has personally committed USD 5 million to the State of Louisiana for relief efforts to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, Brees has received several philanthropic awards, including the Horizon Award for Excellence in Community Service, the Laois Don Newcombe Award, and others.
Drew Brees Children
Baylen Robert Brees (Son)
Born on January 15, 2009, Baylen is the eldest child of Drew and Brittany. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the lovely child got into shoe painting, which has become his passion. Baylen has raised over USD 11,300 with his custom shoes for Covid-19 relief.
Bowen Christopher Brees (Son)
Bowen is the second child of the Brees couple. Born on October 19, 2010, Bowen is fond of various sports. His father regularly posts pictures and videos of him playing baseball, basketball, and football with his brothers.
Callen Christian Brees (Son)
Born on August 15, 2012, Callen is Drew and Brittany’s youngest son and third child. Callen is a huge basketball fan and the NBA baller Stephen Curry. Besides, he also enjoys playing football and word searches with his father.
Rylen Judith Brees (Daughter)
Born on August 26, 2014, Rylen Judith Brees is the youngest and the only daughter of the Brees family. Rylen is undeniably her daddy’s girl, as the family’s only daughter. She is already demonstrating her baseball and skateboarding abilities at a young age.
Drew Brees Career
Drew Brees is one of the greatest NFL footballers of all time. He started playing football when he was in high school, where he was a standout football player.
During high school, Brees led his team to a state title and bagged the Offensive Player of the Year honors in 1996. However, his six feet height was considered too short and his arms too weak by the major college programs in his home state. So, he received scholarship offers from only two universities, out of which he chose Purdue University.
Drew was a three-year starter at Purdue, setting school and Big Ten Conference records for almost every significant career passing statistic, including passing yards and touchdowns. In his senior year, Brees led the Purdue Boilermakers to their first Rose Bowl berth in thirty-four years.
Then Brees was selected by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. While playing for San Diego, he remained the team’s starting quarterback and earned the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award and Pro Bowl honors for his outstanding performance.
However, a shoulder injury in 2005 made the Chargers wary of signing him a long-term contract, so Brees signed a free-agent deal with the New Orleans Saints. Again, he set an NFL record and helped his team win the Super Bowl XLIV. Brees also won the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award for his role. For the next decade, Drew continued to break different records and was also named the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.
On March 14, 2021, fifteen years after signing his first contract with the Saints, Brees declared his retirement after twenty seasons. The star quarterback then immediately joined NBC for the 2021-22 campaign to provide analysis in the booth for Notre Dame games and the studio ahead of the “Sunday Night Football’ matchups on NBC. However, news has recently surfaced that Drews officially left the NBC.
Health Issues
Drew Brees suffered from many potentially career-ending injuries. Brees has seen his share of severe injuries in his 20 NFL seasons.
During the 2020 regular season, Drew battled through 11 fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, a torn labrum, and a fascia. Similarly, in 2019, Brees snapped his ulnar collateral ligament after a forcible blow from Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Controversy
Drew faced backlash after his controversial statement in an interview with Yahoo! Finance. Several of his teammates heavily criticized the NFL player for revealing his stance on the NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.
Brees was asked in the interview for his opinions on players potentially kneeling during the national anthem in 2020. He said kneeling during the anthem was disrespectful, citing his grandfather’s military service during World War II. He said,
“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country. I envision my grandfathers risking their lives to protect our country to try to make our country and this world a better place. So every time I stand with my hand over my heart looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that’s what I think about.”
Brees’s comments drew immediate criticism from several of his high-profile teammates. Football stars like Michael Thomas, LeBron James, and Malcolm Jenkins posted their dissatisfaction stating Drew did not understand the struggle of black people in America.
So, the American quarterback issued a lengthy apology on Instagram the day after his Yahoo interview went live. He wrote,
“I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday, but I take full responsibility and accountability. I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening…When the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.”
Drew Brees Social Media
Drew Brees is on social media, posting pictures and videos of his personal and professional life. He has an official Twitter with 3.2 million followers and an Instagram account with 1.8M followers.
Drew Brees Net Worth
Drew Brees is one of the highest-paid footballers of all time. His impressive annual income of USD 22 million has helped him live a relatively luxurious life.
Brees owns a four-bedroom, two-story home in New Orleans, which he and his wife purchased in 2006 for USD 1.6 million.
The Super Bowl champion is also involved in the real estate business. For instance, he sold his condo in Kauai for USD 1.75 million in 2015. Similarly, Brees and his wife also let go of a Southern California home for USD 2.6 million. Not to mention the four-bedroom Austin home where Drew grew up, which came up for sale for USD 1.89 million.
The football star also co-owns the Monroe-based Surge Adventure Parks. It is a 42,000-square-foot sports and family entertainment center with activities for all ages.
Drew also has a collection of five luxury cars, a Ford Mustang, a Muscle Car, a BMW, a Tesla, and a Bugatti Veyron.
So, based on all the available facts regarding his income and lifestyle, Drew Brees’s net worth, as of 2023, is estimated at USD 160 million.
