Tedy Bruschi is a former professional football player who was a linebacker in the NFL for 13 seasons. He played college football for the University of Arizona, and was a two-time consensus All-American. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and played his entire professional career with the Patriots.

Bruschi attended the University of Arizona, where he played for the Arizona Wildcats football team from 1991 to 1995. In his four-year college career, he compiled 185 total tackles, with 74 tackles for losses, six fumbles and recovered five others and tied the NCAA Division I-A sack record with 52 sacks.Bruschi won three Super Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro selection. On February 16, 2005, just three days after playing in the 2005 Pro Bowl, Bruschi was taken to a hospital and was diagnosed with a mild stroke. On October 16, 2005, the Patriots announced that Bruschi had been medically cleared to resume playing football. he rejoined the team on the practice field three days later. The Patriots officially activated him on October 29, and he played the following night against the Buffalo Bills. Following the game, Bruschi was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. 

In 2007, Bruschi wrote Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery, and My Return to the NFL, a book about his experience with his stroke and his recovery. From this, he earned himself a share of the Comeback Player of the Year Award and the Patriots recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. Bruschi is a spokesman for the American Heart Association and founded Tedy's Team, a foundation to raise funds for stroke research, inspired by Bruschi's own experiece. He ran in the Boston Marathon in 2012 and 2019.