Pittsburgh Steelers legendary quarterback, Terry Bradshaw, was at a crossroads after the 1989 NFL season. Bradshaw became a game analyst for CBS after retiring from the NFL following a career-ending elbow injury. Bradshaw was the quintessential winner as a quarterback, posting four Super Bowl victories as a player, but he wasn’t happy with his second career.
Dinner Drive With Kyle Petty
Terry Bradshaw sits down to dinner with Kyle Petty, one of his biggest fans.
On Thursday, Bradshaw joined one of his biggest fans, Kyle Petty, to discuss his career and share a meal on the Dinner Drive with Kyle Petty on The Circle Network. The former quarterback has been part of the national football conversation for over five decades. Bradshaw is better known as one of the Fox NFL Sunday hosts than he is as a two-time Super Bowl MVP at this point.
“Emotionally, I was ready to move on,” Bradshaw said about his NFL career ending. “I had my farm. It was paid for. My tractor was paid for. That was my thoughts, and I’m working cattle with my Dad, and a limousine pulls up. Out gets Brent Musburger and hands me a note. We want to sign you to a contract to do football games. I’m like, I don’t know anything about doing football games.”
Steelers' Terry Bradshaw Threw Away His Career On His Last Pass In 1983 To Win AFC Central
Bradshaw had returned too early from an elbow injury in 1983. He played one half of one game for the Steelers and secured the AFC Central title for Pittsburgh. Bradshaw had appeared in the Burt Reynolds 1978 film Hooper and the 1981 film Cannonball Run and recorded two country albums during his playing career, but wasn’t sure about how he would fare as a broadcaster for CBS.
“I flew up to New York. Sweating, you have no idea how nervous I was,” Bradshaw told Petty. “I’ve never been in that kind of environment. Pat Summerall was there [and] introduced me to the New York media. I am lathered up. I hadn’t announced my retirement. As a matter of fact, I never announced my retirement. I just moved on.”
Bradshaw was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1989 after the standard five-year waiting period after his season. The former NFL MVP may have yet to formalize his retirement, but the Canton, OH, voters knew when his election eligibility arrived. Bradshaw loved being a quarterback, but shared with his dinner companion Petty that being a game analyst wore on him.
“I wasn’t happy, I didn’t like doing games,” Bradshaw shared. “My whole thought behind it was I’m never going to beat John Madden out. I’m never going to be number one. I mean seriously, I want to do that to be number two. That goes against every fiber in my body.”
The John Madden and Pat Summerall broadcast team was the gold standard at CBS and in the NFL. No matter how well he did his job, Bradshaw knew he would never supplant Madden as the best game analyst. The man who was so used to beating the best on the biggest stage knew that no matter how hard he worked, he would be stuck in second place.
“So, a couple months later, they say we are going to rebuild The NFL Today,” Bradshaw continues. “We want you to be the cornerstone.”
Bradshaw shifted from the booth to The NFL Today for CBS in 1990. He took to it like a duck to water and immediately was reborn as a star. It allowed him to comment on football at his own pace, rather than the quick bursts that only last a few seconds in between plays as a game analyst. Bradshaw had finally found a home in broadcasting that suited him.
Fox NFL Sunday
Steelers Terry Bradshaw shares the set with Curt Menefee, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, and Jimmy Johnson.
When Fox won the rights to the NFL and put CBS out of the professional football business, Bradshaw’s presence was essential to easing the transition for fans. Petty asked if the seeming camaraderie amongst the hosts was genuine and if the cohosts were as close as they appeared on Sundays.
“We are a close family,” Bradshaw shared. “When the season’s over with, we are still in touch with one another. David Hill, who is the head of the sports programming, he hired me and said, ‘I’m building my show around you. I want entertainment.’ That was perfect for me. I love making people laugh. I don’t mind being the butt of the jokes. I’m totally secure in my skin. If something really ticks me off, I’ll tell you about it.”
Bradshaw is entering his 30th season with Fox when the 2023 NFL season begins on Sunday. He left the broadcast booth because he knew he could not compete with Madden and found his true calling as a studio analyst. Fox Sports Studio Show has won multiple Sports Emmy awards, including the most recent award for Outstanding Studio Show. The quintessential winner is still winning the television version of championships at the ripe old age of 75.
Fox NFL Sunday
Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw poses to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Fox NFL Sunday.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Are you glad Bradshaw transitioned into the studio and became a cohost of the most popular pre-game show for the last 29 years? Please let me know what you think. Comment below or on my TwitterX: @thebubbasq.
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