Pro Football Hall of Famer and Fox NFL Sunday Co-Host- Terry Bradshaw turns 64 today.

Ten Notes On Terry Bradshaw

1. I am a Steeler fan. I have been since I was nine years old which also happens to be the year the Steelers drafted Terry Bradshaw with the first overall pick in the 1970 draft out of Louisiana Tech. I watched Bradshaw game in and game out his entire career. He led my favourite team to four Super Bowl Championships. Needless to say Terry Bradshaw will always be someone special as far as I am concerned.

2. Back in the 1970’s they didn’t expect like they do today- for quarterbacks to just come into the NFL and light it up right away. They always talked about it taking 5 years for a quarterback to develop back then. A lot of times it did. It took Terry Bradshaw until his 5th year. He sure had a rough 4 1/2 years. During those first 4 1/2 seasons he would start, be benched for poor play numerous times. The Steelers had a local quarterback who played at Notre Dame Terry Hanratty who was loved in Pittsburgh. Problem was Terry Hanratty had about 1/20th of the talent Bradshaw possessed.  But Bradshaw just couldn’t keep the job. I recall I believe it was in 1973 against the Bengals at Three River Stadium Bradshaw having a poor game, gets hurt, he comes off the field holding his shoulder. The crowd erupts in cheers. Deafening cheers.  When the 1974 season began, the starting QB was Jefferson Street Joe Gilliam.Gilliam could throw the football but he lacked discipline. He wanted to throw the ball every down. Week 7 of the season with the team 4-1-1 Coach Chuck Noll in a Monday Night Game at Atlanta went with Bradshaw. It would be his job the rest of his career. He didn’t have a great 1974. They won the Super Bowl because of the defense and Franco Harris but Bradshaw played steady and consistant. He finally showed improvement. The Steelers went on and won their first Super Bowl vs Minnesota. I recall a moment very clearly from the AFC Championship Game. In the winding moments of the game they showed Bradshaw on the sidelines sitting on his helmet. Tears rolling down his face. It had been a long,difficult journey but he was heading to the Super Bowl.

2. Bradshaw was a riverboat gambler. Underrated as a play caller. He was unpredictable at times, which is a great thing. He had Hall of Fame weapons- Franco Harris, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. I have heard people say “Lynn Swann saved him, a lot of bad passes Swann made great catches on. I don’t believe that. I think Bradshaw knew what Swann was capable of.  Think of those passes Swann caught in the first Dallas Super Bowl. He was covered well on those passes. Bradshaw put the ball where he had to, Swann went up and got the ball.

3. Bradshaw and Chuck Noll had a difficult relationship. Bradshaw would try Noll’s patience especially in the first half of his career. Noll was not a coach like say a Bum Phillips who got close to his players. Bradshaw would even after his career was over whine about Noll. He would say he was closer to Bum Phillips and Sam Ratigliano than he was his own coach. Chuck Noll wasn’t there to be his friend. He was there to be his head coach. It took a while before Bradshaw I think finally got it. All I know is the Emperor Chuck Noll won 4 Super Bowls as a head coach. Bum and Sam never made it to the big game, let alone winning any.

4. Terry Bradshaw threw only 2 more TD’s than he had interceptions in his career- 212 touchdowns to 210 interceptions. He threw a lot of interceptions early in his career. Also keep in mind he threw the ball deep. There were a number of times I can remember Bradshaw in his prime- 3rd and long going deep and having a ball picked. I know it wasn’t the result he wanted but it was in some cases better than an incompletion and having to punt on 4th down. Also the game was different back then. The Steelers/ Bradshaw threw the ball they didn’t dump off passes all day to their running backs.

5. Bradshaw was the league MVP in 1978. 4 time Super Bowl Champion,  3 time Pro Bowl selection, 2 time Super Bowl MVP. He played big in the big games. As a starting quarterback Bradshaw was 107-51. His record was 14-5 in playoff games. The Steelers under Bradshaw were never known as a team that came from behind in the last minute to win games. They were usually ahead and didn’t have to come back In 1979 Terry Bradshaw and the Pirates Willie Stargell were Sports Illustrated “Sportsmen of the Year” Two- Hall of Famers were born 9.2.1948- Terry and basketball Hall of Famer Tiny Nate Archibald. Teacher-Astronaut Christa McAuliffe was also born this day/year.

6. Terry Bradshaw’s last game. 1983. Bradshaw had been hurt all year. Late in the season, they had lost 3 games in a row including an embarrassing 45-3 loss on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. Week 15 Terry Bradshaw makes his first appearance of the season. He came out and threw 2 touchdown passes before hurting his shoulder and ending his career. The Steelers who looked terrible in losing 3 games in a row looked like a different team winning easily.

7. I never would have thought Terry Bradshaw would be successful as a football announcer/host. Never saw that coming but he’s been at this nearly 30 years. He comes across as a likeable and fun loving guy who doesn’t take himself to seriously. I think that as successful as he has been both on and off the field he is a very insecure person.

8.  In his playing days he was always dogged with the ‘he’s not smart enough to be a quarterback” stuff. Even after he had won  a couple Super Bowls- Hollywood Henderson was making cracks about his lack of intelligence before a Super Bowl- saying he couldn’t spell Cat- if you spotted him the C and the A.  I think all that stuff was garbage. He turned into a Rhodes Scholar as far as football goes. Spell- Four Super Bowl Rings- Hollywood Henderson.

9. In 1976 Terry Bradshaw suffered one of the worst looking injuries I’ve seen when Turkey Jones tried to plant him in the ground in Cleveland.  One of the few highlights Browns fans have had since the mid 1960’s.  Bradshaw missed 4 games. Something strange happened then. The Steelers coming off a Super Bowl- were 1-4 on the year. They would win out the rest of the regular season-9 and 0. The defense that year was the most dominating I’ve ever seen. In those last 9 games they gave up a total of 28 points. They had 5 shutouts, 2 games when they just allowed a field goal. In 9 games they gave up only 2 touchdowns. We will never see anything like that again.

10. Terry Bradshaw was on the passing end of the greatest play in NFL history. Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception’ Bradshaw avoided a number of Raider tacklers, threw the ball downfield, Frenchy Fuqua and Jack Tatum collided, the ball went off Tatum and into the hands of Franco Harris who took it in for the game winning touchdown. A miracle play- 1972 playoffs. Hard to believe that was 40 years ago.