It's hard to imagine NFL Sundays without Terry Bradshaw's folksy charm and sharp analysis on FOX. But the four-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback nearly missed his first shot at broadcasting—all because of a simple laundry mistake.
Bradshaw, who became one of the most beloved figures in NFL media after his playing days with the Pittsburgh Steelers, recently shared the story with Craig Melvin on the Today show's Glass Half Full segment. It turns out his path to the booth was almost derailed by a forgotten phone number.
After retiring from the NFL in 1983, Bradshaw was content living a quiet life on his farm. He was making about $50,000 a year from ranching and thought that was plenty. But CBS had other plans.
One day, while working cattle, a limousine pulled up. Out stepped legendary broadcaster Brent Musburger, who had been sent by CBS to track down Bradshaw. In the days before cell phones were ubiquitous, the network had to resort to a personal visit to get Bradshaw's attention.
"He gave me the number [to call], I put it in my pocket, and we talked for a few minutes," Bradshaw recalled. "He wished me luck, and he left this country-(expletive) town. I can guarantee you when he pulled off the highway, he said, 'All right boys, lock 'em up.'"
Bradshaw then forgot about the note. Days passed as he went about his farm work, changing clothes each day. When laundry day came, he followed his mother's advice to always empty his pockets—and there it was: the crumpled-up number from CBS.
"I went, 'Oh, I'm supposed to call this guy,'" Bradshaw said with a laugh.
Thankfully, he made the call. Ted Shaker at CBS was thrilled to hear from him. "He said, 'Oh, I'm so glad you called. Hey, look, I know you don't have an agent. Let me just tell you over the phone, we want to hire you to do football games,'" Bradshaw recalled. "I said, 'I don't know how to do football games.' He said, 'Well, you come here, we're gonna teach you how to do football games. We're gonna give you a 3-year contract, and you're gonna make $100,000 a year.'"
That initial opportunity with CBS eventually led to his iconic role on NFL on FOX, where he has become a household name. Now, at 77, Bradshaw shows no signs of slowing down. As he recently told Sports Central News, he refuses to retire, believing that stepping away from the game is akin to "starting to die."
The story serves as a reminder that even the biggest careers can hinge on small moments—and that sometimes, a little luck (and a clean pair of pants) can change everything.
