Steelers' HOF QB Terry Bradshaw Blindsided By Clueless Chris Walllace With 50 Year Old Questions About His Intelligence

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Terry Bradshaw as the first overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft. Bradshaw, nicknamed ‘The Blonde Bomber,’ was supposed to be Pittsburgh's savior. He was handed the keys to the franchise in his rookie year, which was quite unusual in the NFL of that era, and he stumbled out of the gate.

Bradshaw’s play was so bad during his early years, that he earned the label of not being smart enough to comprehend enough information to be effective as an NFL player. Chuck Noll benched him repeatedly before he finally switched back to the former number-one pick in 1974 and the Steelers would go on to win four of the next six Super Bowls after Bradshaw permanently turned the corner.

Bradshaw appeared on Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace in a recent episode of the fledgling HBO program. Chris Wallace elicits mixed feelings from viewers and has struggled to find an audience since before he left Fox News and is now appearing on his third network in just a short period. Wallace decided to directly confront Bradshaw about Thomas Henderson’s Super Bowl XIII comments about his inability to spell the word 'cat.' Bradshaw hates the subject and his disdain for the question was apparent:

“The dumb image, I have yet to figure out,” Bradshaw said. “A lot of interceptions my rookie year, but my rookie interception record was broken by Peyton Manning, considered one of the smartest quarterbacks. I threw 25, he threw 28. So, I am upset. I do get upset by the dumb image; I don’t like it being brought up.”

Steelers' QB Terry Bradshaw Addresses Ancient Accusations Of Being Dumb By Dallas Cowboys Linebacker

According to Pro Football Reference, Bradshaw threw 24 interceptions 52 years ago, but his point is well taken. Wallace had to know that Bradshaw hates the label and while he has addressed it in the past, it infuriates him every time it comes up. Bradshaw barely forgave the fans of Pittsburgh for perpetuating the label early in his career. Despite the obvious love for him by the end of his playing days, he stayed away from the Steelers for years, including skipping Art Rooney’s funeral:

“I think probably some of my anger and frustration with it is,” Bradshaw continues. “I didn’t get enough support. I didn’t get enough support from Pittsburgh. I thought Chuck Noll could have stepped in. I called my own plays; you can’t be too stupid and call your own plays.”

Bradshaw commonly refers to this slight by Noll and skipped the coach's funeral in 2014, despite saying publicly the two had mended fences. Skipping important figures in his life funerals is a Bradshaw staple to display his true feelings. Steelers players from that era like the great Joe Greene have said that a lot of the quarterback’s issues with the head coach were one-sided. Noll notoriously avoided the spotlight and rarely gave interviews during his tenure in Pittsburgh. Noll did his talking on the field, and Bradshaw ended up talking for a living, the two men could not have been more different:

“I like to have fun in interviews,” Bradshaw said. “If it’s at my expense, I’m fine with it. There are times even at Fox when it’s Terry’s always the goofball and I don’t say anything, but I do say to myself enough, you know, enough.”

Wallace, who is well known for his political interviews, seemed to realize, albeit too late, this was the wrong line of questioning. A hard-hitting interview with a beloved figure like Bradshaw is 20 years too late. When the Hall of Famer was making no secrets of his feud with the Steelers, this kind of questioning had a place. In 2023, with the recent passing of Franco Harris and Bradshaw’s struggles with cancer, it just seems mean-spirited.

Bradshaw will be part of Fox Sports coverage for the upcoming Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. There has been speculation by fans that his health could force him into a more limited role, but Bradshaw has indicated repeatedly he plans to continue full-time with Fox Sports.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you think Wallace was out of bounds bringing up Bradshaw’s intelligence? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.