3 out of 4 stars
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Terry Bradshaw: From Super Bowl Champion to Television Personality by Brett L. Abrams is a biography of Terry Bradshaw, the well-known pro football legend. Beginning with the sports figure’s high school playing days, the author explores Bradshaw’s football career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and his experiences after retiring from the NFL. Many of you will recognize Bradshaw as the co-host of Fox TV’s successful football pre-game show on Sundays. You might not be as familiar with his country albums, movie performances, and other pursuits after leaving the NFL.
In 1970, the Louisiana native was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the number one pick. He struggled a bit in the first few years, but led the team to a Super Bowl win in 1974 and three more after that. One shining moment during his career was a throw he made that was caught and known as "The Immaculate Reception." The sports media wasn’t always kind to Bradshaw and often tagged him as a dumb, Southern hillbilly.
There is a treasure trove of interesting trivia in this well-researched book. For example, the Steeler’s coach initially rotated three quarterbacks in Bradshaw’s early years with the team. The football star also had a supporting role in several popular movies and was a country-western and gospel singer in the off-season. My favorite part of the book was learning about Bradshaw’s rise up the ladder in sports broadcasting. His fun personality and keen knowledge of the game became a good fit for the pre-game shows, including interviews with players and coaches.
The story gets bogged down by too many details of each football season, including an almost play by play account of certain games. Even the most enthusiastic Terry Bradshaw fan might not be interested in such specifics. I am a football fan and have always admired Bradshaw’s sports achievements and honest, fun personality. Still, I found it difficult to read too many pages in one sitting, due to the overabundance of minute details.
My biggest gripe with this story is the slow pace and, as previously discussed, overly detailed content. I often felt like I was reading a textbook or encyclopedia. Although there are so many interesting tidbits, wading through it all was a bit overwhelming at times. It should also be noted that the PDF file I received has the word “draft” displayed in red on every page, even though the book was published several months ago and is for sale on Amazon.
I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. Bradshaw’s likable, gregarious personality is captured well and there is a wealth of interesting trivia in this story. While the author’s writing style doesn’t make for fast reading, I still enjoyed learning more about this sports legend’s fascinating life. As you might expect, I recommend this book primarily to football fans as other readers might not find the dense content as engaging.
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Terry Bradshaw: From Super Bowl Champion to Television Personality
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There is so much fascinating information in the story, but the presentation is long and draggy.
