{"id":1697,"date":"2014-01-30T13:18:47","date_gmt":"2014-01-30T19:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pauleide.com\/?p=1697"},"modified":"2021-05-27T09:07:27","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T14:07:27","slug":"terry-bradshaw-interview-pepsi-halftime-the-super-bowl-and-immaculate-reception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/terry-bradshaw-interview-pepsi-halftime-the-super-bowl-and-immaculate-reception\/","title":{"rendered":"Steelers Legend Terry Bradshaw talks early career struggles, Super Bowl success, Immaculate Reception"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Nearly 50 years ago, fifth-year NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw came of age.<\/h1>\n

The former #1 overall draft pick in 1970 had struggled in his first five regular seasons, averaging just 1,504 passing yards per season, while throwing 48 touchdowns and 81 interceptions.<\/p>\n

But in the 1974 playoffs, something clicked.<\/p>\n

In wins over the Buffalo Bills, the Oakland Raiders, and finally, in the Super Bowl IX against the Minnesota Vikings, Bradshaw played the best football of his career, steadying himself long enough to let a powerful running game led by Franco Harris, and legendary “Steel Curtain” defense dictate the tempo of games and slowly bleed out opponents.<\/p>\n

In 1975, Bradshaw set a career high in passing yards, posted a 2-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio, was named to the Pro Bowl and guided the Steelers to a victory in Super Bowl X.<\/h2>\n

Over the next four years, the Steelers won two more Super Bowls (XIII and XIV) because<\/em> of Bradshaw and a ferocious defense, not in spite of him.<\/p>\n

The evolution of Terry Bradshaw as a quarterback can be neatly surmised via a casual glance at his statistics in each of the four Super Bowls which he participated in and won.<\/p>\n

From throwing just 14 passes for 96 yards and one touchdown in his first Super Bowl, to throwing 21 for 309 and two touchdowns and winning the MVP Award in his fourth, Bradshaw rebuilt himself and completely changed the trajectory of his career.<\/h2>\n

After a brutal first five years as a professional quarterback, Bradshaw was named NFL MVP in 1978 and was the first quarterback to win three, and then four Super Bowls, collecting two Super Bowl MVP awards in the process on his way to Canton, Ohio and a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

I spoke to Terry Bradshaw about his progression as a quarterback, the Super Bowl, and the Steelers dynasty of the 1970s.<\/h2>\n

As a rookie, you were the first overall draft pick, and in the ensuing season, you threw a league leading 24 interceptions and split time with Terry Hanratty. What are your thoughts on that year in hindsight, after all the success?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Terry Bradshaw: \u201cWell, I came up out of a small school where I was not exposed to the media, not exposed to fans, what it was like to have a bad game and the repercussions. So being booed, being ripped in the papers, this was all new to me. I had to learn how to be a professional, I had to learn how to study, I had to learn defenses. It took me a while. I wasn\u2019t a real student of the game, I never really was one even as the years went on. I was never a guy that could sit down and just pound out tape after tape. Now, it\u2019s a lot easier. Back then, tape would break and you\u2019d have to glue it back together. I could sit there and my coach could tell me the coverages they would use, take all that information and put it on a piece of paper, go through all the plays and everything, and I would know what to do. I learned how to be a professional and it was brutal. Being booed and being called all those horrible things left a lasting impression on me. I never forgot it.\u201d<\/p>\n

How many times has your last name been altered to \u201cBad-shaw\u201d in a story headline after a rough outing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Terry Bradshaw: \u201cOh gosh, I don\u2019t know. I will say this to ya. If you do, you\u2019re not coming up with anything new. I\u2019ve been asked a lot of strange things and I always answer them. But nothing surprises me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

How different is your life if the \u201cImmaculate Reception\u201d doesn\u2019t happen?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Terry Bradshaw: \u201cThe \u2018Immaculate Reception\u2019 did nothing to help me; we won a game and got beat the following week. It\u2019s voted a great play every year, but not much. It wouldn\u2019t change anything.\u201d<\/p>\n