MINNEAPOLIS — Tom Brady has never lost in Minnesota, with his latest game in the land of lakes this weekend at the Super Bowl of course looming as the largest yet.

Well, long before all this football success, Brady actually endured a couple of memorable failures in the state. They came during those treasured visits to his family’s farm outside the tiny town of Browerville.

First, there was his grandfather’s dog, Tippy. Little Tommy ignored the advice of his elders one day and decided to feed Tippy a bone.

“I bent down to give him a kiss, and he bit through my lip,” Brady said. “That was pretty rough.”

Then there was his ill-fated debut with chewing tobacco, which he persuaded his uncles to let him sample during the half-hour ride back to the farm from their fishing expedition on the lake.

“They said, `Look, if we give it to you, you can’t spit it out until you get home,’ Of course they give it to me, and within five minutes I’m outside of the car, throwing up all over the place,” Brady said. “And I don’t think I’ve had much chewing tobacco since then.”

Brady spent plenty more time in central Minnesota as he aged into a star quarterback and eventually one of the most famous people on the planet. He still makes a priority to visit in the offseasons with his wife and children, trying to continue a tradition he reflected upon fondly and often during news conferences this week.

“I’ve come here my entire life since I was a baby. I’ve been coming to Minnesota in summers and winters. I loved the experience. I loved the life here,” Brady said.