SAM! SAM!: OU's QB Bradford a true hero
QB rewards cheering fans with tireless autograph-signing
By Berry Tramel
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Published: April 13, 2009
NORMAN — The chant started while Sam Bradford stood in the middle of Owen Field, finishing off press interviews Saturday
"Sam! Sam! Sam! Sam!” The anthem was interrupted by a roaring cheer when Bradford started jogging toward the west-side stands. Soon enough, Bradford stood along the wall, signing hats and footballs, posters and tickets, as hundreds of Sooner fans clamored around. A five-man security detail stood by, and when the crowd began to get unruly, the sentries whisked away Bradford. But he ran not to the safety of the locker room, but to the other side of Owen Field, where his approach triggered thunderous acclaim from the hundreds of hungry fans who by faith waited their turn. I have been covering OU football for 30 years and went to games and scrimmages before that. Never have I seen what I saw Saturday. Never have I seen a player lionized like Bradford was Saturday. Not beloved heroes Joe Washington and the Selmon brothers. Not reigning Heisman winners Billy Sims and Jason White. Not counter-culture icons Brian Bosworth and Jamelle Holieway. This was Elvis. This was the Beatles. This is what I hear it’s like for Tim Tebow in Florida. "There’s 10,000 other people that want his autograph,” said Paul Beam, an OU fan from Perry who with his son, 8-year-old Elias, tried and failed to get Bradford’s signature. Ten thousand was an exaggeration, but it was crazy. Said Andrew Schwartz, 21, of Yukon, "Man, there was no way. It’s insane.” Actually, there was a way. Shelby Davies-Jones got the prized autograph. "I had to push some people out of my way,” she said. That’s right. Davies-Jones is a girl. A 12-year-old girl. "I pushed myself to the front,” she said. "It was violent.” I remember reading about Cal Ripken, late in his career, when he would return to the field and sign autographs until the last fan had been served. Thirty minutes, an hour, even longer, deep into the night. Bradford pulled a mini-Ripken. The security guards told me they have their orders from coaches on how long to allow Bradford to sign. When he reached the east-side stands, I asked the guards how long they’d let him go. About two minutes, one of them said. Bradford stayed 20. He would sign and sign and sign, just as fast as his hand would go, then take a few steps, just to reach some fresh requests, since no one this side of Shelby Davies-Jones could move the human mass. When Bradford’s watchmen tried to end the session, Bradford shook them off, saying he would stay longer. "That’s Sam! That’s Sam!” said a kid sitting on his knees atop the wall. "He’s getting closer.” Alas, Bradford never made it to the boy. Eventually, the guards won out. Bradford’s coaches would have had a conniption had he stayed longer. This is a guy who, while thriving on the stage, doesn’t enjoy the spotlight. Bradford is visibly uneasy in the public eye. Yet there Bradford stood Saturday for at least a half-hour, with Sharpies and shouts of his name coming in rapid fire. "He understands that that’s kind of a role that’s expected,” said Kent Bradford, Sam’s father. "You gotta give your fans some time.” Well, actually, you don’t have to. But Bradford has chosen to. "It’s fun,” Kent Bradford said. "Yeah, maybe sometimes it’s inconvenient, but there’s a lot worse problems to have.” When Signin’ Sammy finally broke free, he had something to say, not loud enough for anyone to hear him above the din, but clearly for us lip-readers. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Berry Tramel: 405-760-8080; Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1.
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Bradford is good and completely innocent in this article. The rage is against another stupid Tramel garbage offering designed to get you idiot Swooner fans into a feeding frenzy. AND YOU BOUGHT IT.
Tramel should just add some big, colorful pictures for you Goons so you'll understand and enjoy his garbage stories even more.
Finally got it out. You got it right. College football players are not heroes, at least not for their football prowess. He appears to be an outstanding young man. Lets let him be that and save the hero spew
for the real ones. GO POKES.
Athletes are not heroes. They are disciplined, fierce competitors with a will to win that is admirable. Some are even well behaved and nice. Others kill dogs, do drugs, and get away with murder in night clubs, some have choked their coaches and been allowed to play anyway, others have gambled and bet against their own teams.
Sam is a great guy, and sets a good example, but he is not a hero.
Heroes risk their lives for others. Heroes face death, not opposing teams. If you want to see heroes, welcome our troops home from war. If you want to see heroes, go to the 4th of July Parade in Edmond and watch the Military Order of the Purple Heart trailer go by. Go to the local fire station or police station and see the heroes there.