Terry Bradshaw
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Terry Paxton Bradshaw (born September 2, 1948 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the American National Football League (NFL), and a current television host. Over a six-year span, he won four Super Bowl titles with Pittsburgh (1975, 1976, 1979 and 1980). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
After graduating from Louisiana Tech, Bradshaw was the first player selected in the 1970 NFL draft. During his first several seasons, the 6'3" (190 cm), 215 lb. (97 kg) quarterback was erratic, and was ridiculed by the media for his rural roots and perceived lack of intelligence.
Before one Super Bowl appearance against the Dallas Cowboys, Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson famously ridiculed Bradshaw by saying, "He couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him the 'c' and the 'a'." Bradshaw got his revenge by winning the game; years later, Henderson, who struggled for years to conquer drug addiction, admitted he was high on cocaine at the time of the interview. Bradshaw has in later years made light of the ridicule with quips such as "it's football, not rocket science".
Bradshaw eventually became the premier quarterback in the NFL, leading the Steelers to eight AFC Central championships and the unprecedented collection of Super Bowl rings. He was named the Most Valuable Player in both Super Bowl XIII (35-31 over the Dallas Cowboys) and Super Bowl XIV (31-19 over the Los Angeles Rams). He also made significant contributions in Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl X.
Bradshaw had a strong throwing arm and, unlike many quarterbacks who rely on coaches to call plays, Bradshaw called his own plays throughout his pro career. He was remarkably durable -- one of his backups, Cliff Stoudt, collected two Super Bowl rings without taking a snap from scrimmage in a game.
In his 14-season career, Bradshaw completed 2,025 of 3,901 passes for 27,989 yards and 212 touchdowns. He also rushed 444 times for 2,257 yards and 32 touchdowns.
In 1972 he threw the pass leading to the "Immaculate Reception", perhaps the most famous play in NFL history. Bradshaw was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player by the Associated Press in 1978 and shared Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsmen of the Year" award with Willie Stargell in 1979. He was also selected to play in three Pro Bowl games.
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In addition to his television work, Bradshaw has appeared in several movies, including a 1981 appearance in Cannonball Run. He has also written or co-written five books and recorded six albums of country/western and gospel music.
Bradshaw has been married three times, with each ending in divorce. He has two daughters, Rachael and Erin.
After his NFL career ended, Bradshaw disclosed that he had frequently experienced anxiety attacks after games. The problem worsened in the late 1990s, after his third divorce, when, he said, he “could not bounce back” as he had after the previous divorces or after a bad game. In addition to anxiety attacks, his symptoms included weight loss, frequent crying, and sleeplessness. [1] (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlighthealth/2004-01-30-bradshaw_x.htm) He was diagnosed with clinical depression. Since then he has taken Paxil regularly. He chose to speak out about his depression to overcome the stigma associated with it and to urge others to seek help.
External links
- FOXSports.com - NFL- TERRY BRADSHAW (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/1636036)
- Bradshaw's Hall of Fame page (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=31)
- Terry Bradshaw page on IMDB (http://us.imdb.com/Name?Bradshaw,+Terry+(I))