Terry Bradshaw entertains crowd at NOC Tonkawa lectureship
Four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback and Emmy Award winning broadcaster Terry Bradshaw entertained a sell-out crowd with hilarious anecdotes and tidbits of wisdom at Northern Oklahoma College Wednesday night in Tonkawa.
The event was sponsored by the Renfro Endowed Lectureship Series.
Bradshaw told a number of humorous stories from his Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Steelers mixed in with a number of life changing observations.
Bradshaw said he spent his entire career fighting a label that started when he was in college.
“When I came out of Louisiana Tech, people said I was too dumb to be an NFL quarterback, not smart enough to play quarterback,” he said. “But you know, I called my own plays, did it my entire career.”
“Now, they have radios in their helmets and quarterbacks look at their wrists with like 50 playcards,” he joked while holding up and acting like he was reading his wrist.
“Yet I won four Super Bowls,” he said while holding four fingers in the air.
“Even a dumb guy can win,” he said sarcastically.
On a more serious note, Bradshaw said when he called plays in the huddle for the Steelers, he always knelt down.
“Being the quarterback, I was the unquestioned leader of the offense,” he said. “But I always knelt down in the huddle because I was giving them (the other offensive players) the power. I wanted to empower my teammates and that’s how you do it. Give them the opportunity and responsibility to do the job. That equates to business and life in general. People in leadership positions should give others the power to get the job done. It’s never just one person. There may be a leader but the leader is only as good as the people around them.”
Bradshaw told stories about each member of the Steeler’s offense during his playing days including fellow Hall of Famers Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, and Mike Webster.
“I was so fortunate to play with great players that made my job easier,” he said. “But it’s hard because you deal with a lot of egos. Swann and (John) Stallworth (Pittsburgh receivers) were always open,” he quipped. “Or at least they thought they were.”
“Build relationships with people if you want to make something great,” he pointed out. “I was so fortunate to have those relationships with my teammates. It won’t be easy and there will be problems and issues to work out along the way but if you build relationships with people, they will always be there in the end.”
“It’s always about people.” he said.
At 77, Bradshaw stays busy with broadcasting, horses, speaking engagements and just living life.
“I’ve been so blessed,” he said. “I’ve always stayed busy, in fact, I’ve been busier since I stopped playing in the NFL. I’ve got too much to do to just sit around. Life is a journey to be enjoyed, to be embraced.”
“When you lay your head down at night, think about your day and how you’ve impacted people,” he said. “Think about how you’ve influenced someone’s life. That’s where it’s at, that’s what matters. Tell the people you’re close to you love them.”
At the conclusion of the event, NOC President Diana Morris presented Bradshaw with a Standing Bear Statue and a children’s book as a gift from NOC.
The first NFL player with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Bradshaw has accomplished many things outside of athletics. He is a popular actor, most recently in the box office smash comedy romance Failure to Launch. He is also a gospel/country singer, motivational speaker, New York Times best-selling author, and breeder of championship quarter horses.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 3,100 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
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