Sam Bradford, Trying to Turn Around the St. Louis Rams, Continuing to Share His Christian Faith

As the number one draft pick in the NFL in 2010, as a well thought of college quarterback coming to play for an NFL team that only won one game last year, some might expect the pressure to get to Sam Bradford. The former University of Oklahoma standout refuses to let the pressure get to him, because as a Christian, Sam Bradford trusts God in everything. The Rams have only won six games during the past three years. Some might expect Bradford to be a key in turning the Rams around, as only 74 collegiate players, out of the hundreds of thousands who have played, have ever won the Heisman trophy.

As a redshirt sophomore, Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy in 2008, only the second sophomore ever to win the award. (The other was Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.) He also won the Davey O'Brien Award, which is annually given to the best collegiate quarterback. He was the first Native American since Jim Plunkett in 1990 to win the Heisman. He led the Sooners to the BCS national championship gave, where the team lost to Florida and Tim Tebow, 24-14, despite his throwing 26 for 41 passes, with two touchdowns and two interceptions and 256 yards.

His collegiate statistics include leading the Sooners to the Big 12 championship and a Fiesta Bowl appearance, where Oklahoma lost to West Virginia, 48-28 in 2007, as a redshirt freshman. Sam Bradford, the dedicated Christian, sat out the 2006 season. He broke the freshman record for passing touchdowns in a game against Oklahoma State on November 24, 2007. He also led the Sooners to beat Missouri for the second time that season in the Big 12 title game. As a sophomore, he led the Sooners to a staggering 702 points, the most by any college football team ever. He entered the NFL draft after his junior season in 2009.

Despite all his success, football isn't the most important thing for Sam Bradford.

"I remember going (to church) every Sunday morning, just listening and learning more about the Lord," Sam Bradford recalled in an interview recorded in CBN.comhow he came to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Who died on the cross and rose again from the dead to give a home in heaven to believers. "Probably after a couple of months, I really decided that I wanted to give my life to the Lord. And, ever since then it's something that I really try to make a strong point in my life," he said.

After that he was a star in high school, followed by college.

He said he struggled being on the bench as a freshman the year he sat out. He had always played in every team sport he attempted. Despite that, he still had to get up every day at 5 a.m. for workouts. He his situation provided a "new concept" for him. He says he even partially turned his back on the Lord, because he could not understand his situation. He says now he learned, and other athletes need to learn, to trust God through the good and the bad.

After being challenged by the leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at the University of Oklahoma, the Christian, Sam Bradford, began to attend chapter meetings. He turned his life back to Christ. He now trusts God in every situation much more. He says he began to understand that God had a plan for his life and he should trust that plan. He says God "knows what he's doing."

He often turned to the Bible when he felt pressure, as any quarterback in a high pressure situation, like that at Oklahoma, does; he turned to the Bible for guidance. The pressure was not only concerning winning, but also having to deal with academics as well. He began to regularly read the story of David and Goliath and learned from the story of David. He often felt the Lord's presence, as David must have when he met Goliath.

Even winning the Heisman Trophy did not give Sam Bradford a conceited attitude. He credits all 104 Oklahoma players with having a part in his winning the award. He is more concerned with having a Christ like, joyful attitude, win or lose, or despite being booed by 80,000 fans when away from his home field. As a believer in Christ, he believes he must set an example for younger people.

Sam Bradford said as a Christian he doesn't let peer pressure get to him. He said for that reason he is not tempted by drugs or alcohol.

"Kids would be surprised at how many people would be interested to hear about their faith," Sam Bradford explained in an interview on the website, www.sharingthevictory.com. why young people should not be timid as believers. "I think there are a lot of people who are scared to share their faith because they think everyone else is so strong in theirs, or they think that others don't care. But, for me, going to FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Bradford was a leader in the group at Oklahoma) here and getting to listen to other student-athletes give their testimonies really helped me."

Whatever Sam Bradford does, play football or live as a Christian, he wants to excel for his Lord. In his first game as a redshirt freshman he passed for 21 for 23, for 263 yards and three touchdowns, setting a Sooner record for passing for a half. He also set the NCAA freshman passing record with 36 touchdowns.

Citations:

Sam Bradford's Strategy for Success, by Jonathan Cyprowski and Shawn Brown, CBN.com

Sam Bradford, no author listed, Sharingthevictory.com

Sam Bradford, no author listed, Wikipedia.org