Golf was OU quarterback Sam Bradford's special link
Long on Bradford Coach knew scratch game would produce gifted QB
Comments 
9
Published: March 2, 2009
In two years as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, Heisman winner Sam Bradford has thrived under the tutelage of quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson.
Chuck Long recruited 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford to OU. The Oklahoman Archive
Multimedia
NewsOK Related Articles
But neither Heupel nor Wilson can be credited for recruiting Bradford to
Norman.
Instead, that distinction goes to former Sooner offensive coordinator
Chuck Long, who had a feeling early on Bradford had the chance to be special.
"He came to our camps when I was coaching there and we really liked everything about him, his demeanor, the way he handled himself,” Long told
The Oklahoman. "He threw the ball with excellent touch and great accuracy.”
But that alone wasn’t the reason why Long believed in Bradford’s long-term potential and why he went to bat to make sure Bradford received a scholarship offer.
Even though Bradford wasn’t the most coveted recruit coming out of
Putnam City North High School.
"You dig a little deeper, and he’s a scratch golfer, he’s a basketball player and he’s a four-sport athlete, and you like those guys, especially at the quarterback position,” Long said. "But I think the scratch golf, when we found that out, I learned from a professional coach that if you have a quarterback who’s a scratch golfer, he’s a good one, because he’s a strategist, he can think, he can get out of the rough and he’s thinking, ‘What’s the next shot?’
"Plus it’s like a four-hour match, like a football game, and there’s a lot of ups and downs in that match. You have to stay even keel to get through it and play under pressure. That was really the factor that got me on board anyway, though it was a little tougher sell for the staff. But we just felt he was the guy.”
Long never got to enjoy the fruition of his discovery, as he left to become the head coach at
San Diego State before Bradford made it to campus.
"It’s one thing to recruit a kid like Sam, but it’s another to develop him,” Long said. "You have to give credit to Josh Heupel. He coached him up and developed him within Kevin Wilson’s system. That, of course, being under
Bob Stoops’ winning umbrella.”
But from afar, Long has taken pleasure in watching his theory about scratch-golf quarterbacks prove to be on target.
"I didn’t see all of his games, but the ones I did see, he’s been delivering that ball accurately and on time, and that’s the key to any successful offense,” Long said. "It’s been fun to watch him progress.”
Leave a Comment
Sports Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).