Bruschi played high school football at Roseville High School in Roseville, California. He played college football at the University of Arizona as a defensive end, where he tied the NCAA Division I-A sack record with 52 quarterback sacks. He was taken by the Patriots in the 3rd round (25th pick) of the 1996 NFL draft.

Bruschi has a knack for intercepting passes and taking them to the end zone. In 2003, he had 3 picks, 2 of which went for touchdowns. As of 2006, in his career with New England, he has 829 tackles, 27 sacks, and 11 interceptions, 4 of which have gone for touchdowns. All of those touchdowns came on consecutive interceptions, a feat no other NFL player has yet to equal. Bruschi has become greatly popular with Patriots fans for his tenacious playing style and ability to seemingly make a key play whenever necessary for his team; 12 of his 27 sacks have come in the fourth quarter.

Bruschi had six tackles, a sack and an interception of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb to help the Patriots cement a 24-21 win in Super Bowl XXXIX, their third title in four years. He later made his first Pro Bowl the next week. A few days later, on February 16, 2005, Bruschi was taken to a hospital with symptoms including temporary numbness, blurred vision and headaches. Bruschi suffered a mild stroke. He had experienced a broken blood vessel in his head and suffered from partial paralysis that went away soon after admittance to Massachusetts General Hospital. After several months of rehabilitation, Bruschi announced that he would sit out the 2005 NFL season . On October 16, 2005, it was announced that Bruschi had been medically cleared to resume playing football and 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. ESPN broadcast this game and had several features on Bruschi's return, including a calculation of hits for the first time on an ESPN NFL broadcast and many interviews during game play. Bruschi played in all but the final game against Miami and was ready to suit up for the first playoff game against Jacksonville. He was recently named the 2005 "NFL Comeback Player of the Year", an honor he shared with Carolina Panthers Wide Receiver Steve Smith.

Off the field, Tedy Bruschi is an accomplished saxophonist and has played with the Boston Pops. Tedy resides in North Attleborough, MA with his wife, Heidi, and his three sons Tedy Jr., Rex and Dante.