Terry Bradshaw.

Terry Bradshaw. Terry Bradshaw, born in 1948, American football player, who was one of the top quarterbacks of the 1970s. He led the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) to four Super Bowl victories--a feat matched only by quarterback Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers. Bradshaw earned two consecutive Super Bowl most valuable player (MVP) awards for his performances in Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV. Terry Paxton Bradshaw was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was educated at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, where he became known as the Ruston Rifle for his strong throwing arm. After an outstanding collegiate career, Bradshaw was the first player selected in the 1970 NFL draft. Because of his reckless and aggressive style, his start with the Steelers proved difficult. He threw 24 interceptions during his rookie year as the Steelers compiled a 5-9 win-loss record. In 1974 Bradshaw briefly lost his starting role to Joe Gilliam, but he later regained it and led the Steelers to Super Bowl IX, where they defeated the Minnesota Vikings to earn the franchise's first NFL title. The following year Bradshaw again led the Steelers to the Super Bowl. With three minutes left in the game, he completed a dramatic 64-yard touchdown pass to receiver Lynn Swann as Pittsburgh bested the Dallas Cowboys, 21-17. In the mid- and late 1970s, Bradshaw was the dominant quarterback in the NFL, combining leadership and toughness with great passing ability. In 1978 he led the league with 28 touchdown passes and won the Bert Bell Trophy as NFL player of the year. He capped his season with the MVP award in Super Bowl XIII as the Steelers won their third championship. They defeated the Cowboys, 35-31, in what is considered one of the most exciting championships in NFL history. Bradshaw repeated his Super Bowl MVP performance the next year in the Steelers' victory over the Los Angeles Rams. With this victory the Steelers became the first team to win four Super Bowl titles. Bradshaw retired in 1983. In 14 seasons he totaled 2025 completed passes for 27,989 yards and 212 touchdowns. He was also a dauntless runner, with impressive numbers for a quarterback: 32 rushing touchdowns and a career average of 5.1 yards per carry. Bradshaw later became a popular football commentator, first with CBS and then with the Fox television network. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.