Even now, many people still like Terry Bradshaw, one of the best quarterbacks in history, for everything that he contributed to the game of football. Bradshaw is a very modest man with a pure heart, despite his fame.
He was raised by morally upright parents and was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1948. He developed a keen interest in football at a young age.
“All you heard from that kid was football, football, and more football. I mean from the ground up. That was all he ever did.” In 1989, his mother Novis stated, “He had a football in his hand.”
“He was never given anything, ever.” He had to work, which he did with a firm determination that “I’m going to do it.” because he was so desperate for it.
Soon after he enrolled at Woodlawn High School, his talent as a player was widely known. He rose to the position of team captain for the Woodlawn Knights football team, finishing the year with 22 touchdown passes.
Bradshaw set yet another record during this time period, threw the javelin 245 feet (74.68 meters), and was profiled in Sports Illustrated where he was referred to as a bright young athlete.
Bradshaw attended Louisiana Tech University after graduating from high school. He then remarked, “I didn’t want to go to LSU.”
In actuality, “I’ve always believed that they have never had a great quarterback. Even with Bert Jones, they didn’t properly utilize him.”
His exceptional talent earned him the first overall choice in the 1970 NFL Draft. Bradshaw was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had the first choice, without any hesitation.
The rest is history, I suppose. He helped their recovery from obscurity and four Super Bowl victories. Nevertheless, he did not have a perfect first few seasons in the NFL.
“You need to realize that I’m a momma’s boy now. I’m a southerner. My upbringing was completely different from life in a big city.” In an interview, Bradshaw said, “I was truly a country lad.”
Former Cowboys linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson famously joked of Bradshaw, “Bradshaw’s so dumb he couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him the ‘c’ and the ‘t.’”
“I was just a regular Southern kid, you know. In spite of the fact that I was a lovely man, I had a lot of interceptions during my rookie season.” And one of the men responded, “Well, he can’t read defenses, therefore he must be stupid,”
Bradshaw said to Scott Ross in the NFL Sunday program on the Fox network, “But at the same time, when we did start winning, Scott, I never allowed myself to be accepted because I remember how horrible it was for five years.
The Pittsburgh Steelers earned four Super Bowl championships with Bradshaw’s assistance. His first Super Bowl triumph came in Super Bowl IX, and he went on to win Super Bowls X, XIII, and XIV. The NFL recognized Bradshaw’s 64-yard touchdown pass from that contest as the “best throw of all time.”
Later in 1983, Bradshaw left the NFL.
He changed occupations and started working as a sportscaster in 1984. It wasn’t shocking that he became a game analyst because he frequently served as a guest commentator for CBS Sports even throughout his playing career. He joined Fox Sports in 1995, and in a TV Guide Reader’s Poll in 2002, he was chosen as America’s Favorite Sportscaster.
In addition to being one of the greatest NFL players ever, Bradshaw also starred in commercials, movies, and even has his own program, The Bradshaw Bunch, on E!
“I committed to Pittsburgh for a signing bonus of $100,000 over ten years, a $25,000 rookie year salary increase, and a $5,000 boost the following year. You think to yourself, “They’re paying that guy $135 million, and he ain’t worth three and a half!” when you compare that to today.
His yearly pay as a sports broadcaster is $1 million, which, once more, isn’t much when compared to what others in the industry make. Journalist Andrew Marchand claims that CBS’ Romo receives a salary of $17 million annually.
The NFL legend has two daughters and has been married four times in his personal life.
He still ranks as one of America’s sweethearts, in large part because he never allowed success to substantially change him. Those who know him best describe him as humble and grounded, and a recent incident involving him demonstrates this.
In particular, someone was having trouble starting the car when Bradshaw entered the scene and saw them. Bradshaw exclaimed “touchdown” after successfully starting the car, and the driver, who was unfamiliar with the NFL veteran, looked on in disbelief.
According to Cindy Hurt Hammer, who captured the endearing moment for NBC 5, “He had no idea who was assisting him until he walked in the store to use the computer and we told him.”
Terry Bradshaw is a legend, and we can all agree on that.
