Terry Bradshaw's Christian Faith Helped Him Overcome Early Public Ridicule

Today Terry Bradshaw is recognized as an expert football analyist on the Fox television network. He is also remembered for his skills as a quarterback, which helped lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl championships in the 1970's. He wasn't always so well respected, however. Before he started winning championships some in the media called him "dumb" and "stupid." Also, before the 1990's when he became a Christian, he went through three broken marriages. Today, however, he is respected for his football knowledge and background, and he is not ashamed to tell of Jesus Christ, Whom he believes is God's Son Who died on a cross for the sins of the world and rose again three days later to give a home in heaven to believers.

"They called me stupid," the former Pittsburgh quarterback said of the media in an interview in www.cbn.com. "They called me dumb. That's pretty powerful."

Terry Bradshaw, the former winning quarterback in four Super Bowls said people considered him stupid for various reasons. He said some considered him stupid because he talked with a Southern accent, as he came from Louisiana. Others considered him dumb because early in his career he had trouble reading defenses and threw a lot of interceptions. Although the attitude of people changed when he started to win, his feelings hurt for years.

At that time Terry Bradshaw was not a Christian. He did pray, however. He prayed for God to get him out of football. As a small town country boy, he was not used to such harsh criticism. He was depressed for years, and he was tested for Attention Deficit Disorder. He was given medicine for that. He was tested for Clinical Depression.

It wasn't until 1999, years after his football career, when he began to believe that God loved him just the way he was and that Jesus Christ had died for His sins that Terry Bradshaw began to accept himself--with all his faults. He prayed to ask Christ to forgive his sins, and he had peace. He knew that God loved and forgave him. He now says he makes all his major decisions only after prayer.

The former Steelers quarterback is also a sought after motivational speaker. He is not afraid to tell of his depression, if he is asked. Some people want to hear, but others tell him not to bring it up. He is also not ashamed to tell of his faith. He once spoke to a group of firemen, and before the speech, he was interviewed by Fire Chief, and the interview was reported on www.firechief.com.

He said football was his calling card, so he was going to speak about football. He said he believes he can maybe help people by his speeches, because they can learn from his failed marriages. They can learn from the ridicule he endured before the Steelers started winning. He thought firemen, a group under tremendous pressure, could learn. He recalled preaching to almost 300 cowboys in a church in Texas and that two people became Christians afterward.

Terry Bradshaw, the former quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a many of many talents. Besides football, and being a motivational speaker, he has appeared as an actor in feature films and on television and recorded four albums. He had two gospel albums, one with the legondary Jake Hess, that were nominated for Dove Awards. Bradshaw was the first former NFL player to have his own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

He said in an interview published on the website, www.goodnewsmag.org, that walking as a Christian is not always easy for one in the public spotlight, as he is. He sometimes hears friends tell jokes that he is not pleased to hear, as a Christian, but he does not always speak up.

"Nice," he told the writer of the Good News article, he tells himself at the end of the day for not being more bold in his faith. " Way to go, Terry. That's just beautiful. Really, you're really doin' work for the Lord."

Terry Bradshaw, the Christian, says it grieves him every day that he is not a more faithful Christian. He said he wishes he were more outgoing with his faith, like Billy Graham, but he adds he is not. He says he feels strongest as a Christian, when he is with his Christian family. Bradshaw worships in a Baptist church. He says he often feels like a weakling, like the "scum of the earth."

In his 14 seasons in the NFL, Terry Bradshaw led the Steelers to four Super Bowl championships, eight straight playoff appearances, and eight AFC Central Division championships. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility.

Although he only threw for more than 300 yards seven times, three of those came in the playoffs, two in the Super Bowl. He passed for 932 yards and nine touchdowns in his four Super Bowls--both of which were records when he retired. In 19 games in the postseason he completed 261 passes, totaling 3,833 yards for his efforts.

Citations: An Interview with Terry Bradshaw by Aaron Little, CBN.com

Why Not Your Best? No author listed, Firechief.com
FOOTBALL, FAME, AND FAITH talking with Terry Bradshaw, by Steve Beard
Terry Bradshaw, no author listed, En.Wikipedia.org