Terry Paxton Bradshaw came to this world on September 2, 1948. Many sports publications cite him as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time during his playing career. He was the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).
Bradshaw was a tough competitor and had one of the most powerful arms in the history of the NFL. The Steelers’ history is enriched by his physical skills and his leadership on and off the field. His career record includes seven 100+ yards passing, but only one came in the regular season, and two were in the Super Bowl.
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About Terry Bradshaw:
He grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. Bradshaw’s father is William Marvin “Bill” Bradshaw, a former vice president of manufacturing at Riley Beaird Company in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The name of Terry’s mother was Novis. She is one of five children of Clifford and Lula Gay from Red River Parish in Louisiana.
Family:
Bradshaw grew up in a family where work ethic was highly valued. To be devoted and hard work was always their priority. The family lived in Camanche, Iowa. Bradshaw returned to Shreveport with his family when he was a teenager. He played for assistant coach A at Woodlawn High School.
College Life:
Bradshaw attended Louisiana Tech University, located in Ruston. In addition to being an alumnus of his alma mater, he is also a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
In 1966, the NFL sensation Bradshaw caused a media frenzy when he came to Tech from Shreveport. During his college career, Bradshaw was considered by a majority of scouts to be one of the nation’s greatest players.
He accumulated 2,890 total yards as a junior, ranking first in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Bradshaw led his team to a 9-2 record and a 33-13 win over Akron in the Grantland Rice Bowl. After this, he was honored to gain 2314 yards and ranked number three in National Collegiate Athletic Association. The team was led to a record of 8-12.
As a consequence of his team only playing 10 games that year, his production dropped considerably. Furthermore, he was taken off several games after his team blew a significant lead.
Terry Bradshaw received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 1970. The Louisiana Tech sports hall of fame inducted him into its inaugural class in 1984. After four years, Bradshaw was inducted into the state of Louisiana’s sports hall of fame.
NFL Career:
After the 1970 NFL Draft, Terry Bradshaw became the first overall player selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers. After splitting time with Terry Hanratty in his rookie season, he became a starter in his second season.
Despite struggling in his early years in the NFL, Bradshaw eventually led the Steelers to eight AFC Central championships and four Super Bowls.
The “Immaculate Reception” pass he made to Franco Harris against the Raiders in 1972 is one of the best memorable plays in NFL history.
Joe Gilliam replaced Bradshaw during the 1974 regular season, but Bradshaw regained his starting spot. Bradshaw missed four games in 1976 due to neck and wrist injuries.
In 1978, Bradshaw earned the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award after completing 207 of 368 passes and passing for 2,915 yards with 28 touchdowns. That year, despite throwing 20 interceptions, he earned All-Pro and All-AFC honors.
Brady went on to win his second straight Super Bowl MVP award in 1979. Bradshaw was inactive during the first 14 games of the 1983 NFL season because he underwent off-season elbow surgery.
In the second quarter of the Steelers’ 34–7 win over the New York Jets, on December 10, 1983, he felt a pop in his elbow while throwing his final pass, a 10-yard touchdown to Calvin Sweeney. After that game, Bradshaw did not play again.
He ended his career with two more touchdowns (212) than interceptions (210) due to his two touchdowns in the final game that would be played at Shea Stadium.
At the time Bradshaw announced his retirement, the Steelers weren’t expected. It is understood that the Steelers will never make Bradshaw’s number 12 available for reissue since his retirement, but they have not officially retired it.
Married Life:
Shockingly Terry Bradshaw married four times. Melissa Babish was his first wife in 1972, but they made their way apart after the year. His second wife was JoJo Starbuck. The couple stayed together from 1976 to 1983.
Bradshaw made his third marriage with Charla Hopkins, the mother of his two daughters, Rachel and Erin, from 1983 to 1999. There are three daughters in his family named Erin Bradshaw, Rachel Bradshaw, and Lacey Hester.
Bradshaw & Chuck Noll:
Do you know that Terry Bradshaw had a complicated relationship with Steelers head coach Chuck Noll? He complained that Noll was too hard on him, and he never liked him. But despite all this, the two made up good appearances publicly before Noll’s death in 2014.
In 2016 Bradshaw expressed his concerns about the culture clash between Noll and Bradshaw during an interview with NFL Films focusing on Noll. Noll also constantly belittled Bradshaw and wanted positive reinforcement rather than being grabbed at.
Noll described his relationship with Bradshaw as “professional” and businesslike. Moreover, he said personality had to conform to the team. However, Bradshaw chose not to attend Noll’s funeral, even though he was in Pittsburgh.
Albums:
- I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
- Sings Christmas Songs for the Whole World
- Here in My Heart
- Until You
- Terry & Jake
- The Last Word in Lonesome Is Me
- Quarantine Crazy
- Here Comes My Baby Back Again
- Lights of Louisiana
Some Interesting Facts from the life of Terry Bradshaw:
Here are some must to know facts about the life of Bradshaw
Net Worth:
Based on all of this work and all of these achievements, Bradshaw earned a lot of fame and money. His annual TV salary is $5 million, and his net worth is about $45 million.
Beautiful Daughters:
Bradshaw is blessed with three daughters. As described earlier, their names are Erin Bradshaw, Rachel Bradshaw, and Lacey Hester. Rachel Bradshaw is more famous than her other sisters. She is one of the famous singers of the time.
Anxiety Attacks:
Bradshaw made it known that he had frequent anxiety attacks after games during his NFL career. He revealed the fact after the ending of his NFL career. In the late 1990s, the problem worsened.
Real estate:
In 2016, Terry sold a stunning home on 12-acres in Hawaii for $2.7 million. Bradshaw, who has a 744-acre ranch in southern Oklahoma, has been reported to be selling the property in 2019. The price of the farm was not specified, although it had previously sold for between $10 and $12 million.
Third Divorce complications:
His third divorce left him feeling like he “could not bounce back” as he had after prior divorces or bad performances. After this, besides anxiety attacks, he also suffered from weight loss, frequent crying, and sleeplessness.
Clinical depression was diagnosed in him. Paxil has been regularly prescribed to him since then. To overcome the stigma associated with depression, he decided to speak out about it and encourage others to seek help.
