Sam Bradford may soon stand atop the college football world.
He could win the Heisman Trophy this weekend. He could hoist the national championship trophy next month.
He could be No. 1.
Thing is, that’s the spot he’s always held in his parents’ world.
The Oklahoma quarterback is the only child of Kent and Martha Bradford. He became their top priority the November day he was born in 1987, and that never changed. Not when he played youth sports. Not when he took up the cello. Not when he starred at Putnam City North High. That dedication and devotion remains just as strong today.
They cultivated a champion.
"I think it was a great deal because Sam got all the attention,” Kent said. "He got all the time.
"He was our world.”
Kent and Martha were married eight years before Sam was born. He became their pride. Their joy. Their life.
"Everything they did with their child was a joy,” said Sam’s grandmother, Sue Bradford. "Children know if you like what you’re doing with them.
"They always loved everything they did with him.”
Much of what the Bradfords did involved sports. Martha is an elementary school physical education teacher. Kent is a former Sooner offensive lineman. Whether nature or nurture, their son tended toward sports.
As a toddler, Sam had a drawer in his bedroom filled with every kind of ball. Sam’s aunt, Jan Bradford, said the youngster would show them one-by-one to visitors.
"Football!”
"Baseball!”
"Golf ball!”
When Sam showed an interest in something — sports, cello, writing — his parents did what they could to develop it. They encouraged him in everything.
"As long as it was a good, wholesome thing,” Kent said. "If he wanted to do it, do it.”
Kent and Martha enjoyed skating at a nearby ice rink, and after Sam asked for skates for Christmas when he was 5 years old, he started taking lessons. After a week or so, he wanted to quit. The coach was rough. So was the sport.
"Oh, no,” his mother told him. "We don’t quit. We paid for 12 lessons. We’re going to finish this out.”
Even though Sam was central to their lives, he wasn’t coddled. There was discipline if he misbehaved. There was tough love.
Before the hockey lessons were finished, Sam was ready to join a league. Soon after, he made a competitive team, a team that had to leave Oklahoma to find games.
The Bradfords would leave after work on Friday for tournaments in places such as Dallas and Houston, Kansas City and St. Louis. Sam would play Saturday and Sunday, and as soon as his last game was over, the family would head home.
Adding to the long weekends were early game times. Sam would sometimes play at 6 or 7 in the morning. He would be in bed, still asleep, and Kent and Martha would be cramming on his pants.
In those wee hours of the morning, they sometimes looked at each other and shook their heads, parents putting hockey gear on their son at 4 a.m.
"Are we doing the right thing?” they would ask.
They always told each other that if Sam ever complained, ever said he didn’t want to play anymore, they would support that decision.
"He never complained,” Martha said.
Ditto for his parents.
"I never heard them gripe about any activity he was doing,” said Kent’s mom, who often made the trips, too. "They loved every minute of it.”
Kent said: "It’s been great for our family. It’s just been a fun thing.”
That outlook encouraged their son, enabling him to excel and empowering him to strive.
"I definitely think their attitudes had a great deal of impact on getting me where I am today,” Bradford said.
He chuckled.
"(My mom) obviously enjoys me playing football down here now, but I think if it was up to her, I’d still be playing five sports so she’d always have something to do.”
The Bradfords know that dynamics might have changed had Sam not been an only child. If he’d been one of many, it would’ve been difficult to devote as much time and energy as they did.
Sure, a parent’s capacity to love grows with every child, but there are still only 24 hours in a day.
"You see parents who are running here and running there,” Martha said. "We would’ve tried to do ... ”
"You’d have tried to do as much as you could have,” Kent said, "but ... ”
Kent and Martha Bradford did everything they could; they just did it all for Sam.
Kent remembers hearing parents over the years groaning and griping. Some complained about the driving. Others lamented the practices or the games or the time.
"What are you griping about?” Kent would say. "This is a blast. Enjoy it.”
Kent and Martha Bradford sure did.
"We had a ball,” he said.
"We enjoyed it,” she said.
She smiled.
"We’re still enjoying it.”
Jenni Carlson: 475-3314; jcarlson@opubco.com; Carlson can be heard Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m. on KEBC-AM 1340.
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James in Gallup. What did I write on my post below the story about Bradford and his parentsthat cam out on Friday that made you lump me in with cooter and Joe from Austin? Dude did you even read what I wrote?
Thinking that getting the Heisman has any influence on how successful a player is in the NFL is like thinking that if you wear your "lucky" underwear to the game your team will win. There is no logic or scientific merit to either hypothesis. I can understand the argument that having to make the talk show rounds, etc, can influence performance in the upcoming game, but that's about as far as I can logically go. Regardless, no one here has any control over whether Sam wins the Heisman or not. It either will or it won't happen. And, he'll either be a success in the pros or he won't....that's based on his natural ability, the ability of the players around him, and a variety of other factors that DO not include the presence or absence of that statue on his mantel. Regardless, the Heisman is not about a player's professional career, it's about how he played in college up until the time the award is given. It's actually impossible to be a Heisman bust, because the only thing the player is being judged on when the award is given is his past performance. Anything that happens after that is not relevant to the merit of the choice for the award, merely an interesting topic of conversation.
Jill, www.okcthunderfans.com - Dec 12, 2008 at 5:52 pm
good kid good luck sam....its hard to win the nantional title and the other....but i think e r thheisman...lot of guys win one osam bradford is that type of kid who could do just that.....ive notice some of the espn guys ,,rome and foxysouthwest,,have change their tune with the earlier reports changing from mccoy to braford now leading thier ealiy tabulations....looks like he may get it ....make room for a fifth statue in HEISMAN PARK....ITS BEEN PLENTY OF BUST WITHOUT THE HEISMAN.....ryan leaf comes to mind,,,,young from texass is the most recent ...non-heisman bust....but sam is pretty dam good .so i think sam can shatter all the talk of the heisman jinx away.....elway ,marino and both manning boys are/were great pros but the heisman goes to the best COLLEGE player ,,,,woodson of michigan beat out manning of tenn. which was a shocker to me.
As far as I'm concerned, Bradford can win the Heisman. It's like the kiss of death for the Quarterbacks who win it who then go into the NFL. You have to go all the way back to Roger Staubach who won the Heisman and had a great career in the NFL.
Chris it's just like I did with my kids, when you start something you finish, if you never want to do it again that's fine. But you don't back out of a commitment.
Hey everybody, its like the deranged serial killer. The more attention they get, the more fun they have. I resist responding to them, but with about half these comments being written in defense I felt the need. There used to be a really obscene fool named TU on here. They may be some little pathetic old guys in wheel chairs with fleece quilts over their laps. No offense to little pathetic old guys in wheel chairs........... Sam's great, love em, be glad when this over because it begins to be a bit much. Perhaps after Saturday we can start giving some time to others such as Iglesias, John Cooper, Nic Harris etc. We're going to miss those guys next year. Boomer Sooner.
Gary - OKCity - great comment, listen: Football is competition right? It's smash mouth and in your face and at the end of the 60 minutes, whatever the scoreboard says, thats it...that's as far as it goes...I'm as competitive as the next guy, but I have a hard time with those who get excited when someone gets hurt or always yells at the Refs like thier ex-NFL athletes...It's a game boys! I don't wish anything bad for Colt Mcoy, you know why???? Cause' before he's a longhorn, he's an AMERICAN - and before he's an american he's a HUMAN BEING...I don't like being trashed any more than the next guy does, but to stoop as low as Cooter and Richard or Joe or any of these 'males' not MEN there is a difference - they don't have a soul, they are great arguments for evolution and the proof thereof. As for Texas, I CAN'T STAND EM' but that doesn't make me go to thier newspaper site and trash thier fans, what does that accomplish?? It's definetly a confidence issue, they feel bigger if they can put someone else down...you know what you guys oughtta do? IF your man or male enough to actually be married and have kids - go home a tell your wife you love her - she'll probably faint, and when your son or daughter takes a shot at the basketball goal - don't yell at them, tell em good shot and try again...Colt and Tim Tebow deserve the trophy as much as Sam does, they've both had outstanding seasons, if i was a texas fan, I would vote for colt, but I'm not - Im a sooner fan so I pull for Sam - nuff' said...
"They always told each other that if Sam ever complained, ever said he didn’t want to play anymore, they would support that decision.
Kent and Martha enjoyed skating at a nearby ice rink, and after Sam asked for skates for Christmas when he was 5 years old, he started taking lessons. After a week or so, he wanted to quit. The coach was rough. So was the sport.
"Oh, no,” his mother told him. "We don’t quit. We paid for 12 lessons. We’re going to finish this out.”
So, he wanted to quit...but his parents wouldn't let him...even though they said if he wanted to quit they'd let him.
I'm cornfused? Does anyone ever proofread Jenni's crap?
Oh Good God...can we just call this the paper the Daily Bradford? I hope Sam gets an exam to make sure all the smoke getting blown up his ass doesn't cause problems down the road. I like and respect the guy, but this is getting ridiculous.
Ron of Visalia - there are people our there like Ron and Cooter who are jealous of anybody that is successful. They think putting somebody down helps to build them up. They have psychological problems and get their jollies by tearing people down. What a sad life they must lead.
Cooter's comments tell me he's finally sunk as low as whale dung. He makes fun of a young man who over came two ACL tears (which would have ended most people's careers)to become a Heisman Trophy winner. People don't realize the sacrifice of Jason White in getting back into playing form after his injuries. It took hours upon hours of rehabilitation and sheer desire for Jason to even get back to be able to compete for the qb position much less win it. And for some low life like Cooter to come on here and belittle a young man who could have called it "quits" but had the guts and determination to accomplish what he did makes me sick. Cooter - you would make a great poster child for abortion.
Ron, lighten up man. he is was he is. A young man doing something that he loves and trying to achieve the things young boys dream about. I am in fact just a little envious, as many a boy growing up in Oklahoma pretended on the lawns of their homes to be doing what Sam is doing in reality. Sam has never hyped himself, tooted his own horn, compared himself to others. Other people did that. If he does not succeed in the NFL in will not be for a lack of effort or character; he will likely be successfull in whatever other endeavor he so chooses. YOur comments are crass, thoughtless, and come from the same abyss that leads to my experience of having young people seeing me after school just looking for some postive reinforcement and confirmation of their worth. On a completely different track, does anyone know what Bradford's dad does for a living?
Bradford is one of the most over-hyped, overrated college QBs ever. I can't wait until he goes to the NFL and is exposed as the mediocre QB that he is.
Jenny's articles always confuse me. First she says Sam was never coddled, then she goes on about his parents putting his freaking pants on for him while he's sleeping. I mean, I think my parents were very supportive, but they never put on my pants for me. This article is strangely similar to the article about Bobby Reid's mom feeding him chicken, except here I think Jenny's trying to praise Sam and his parents here, while in the older article, Jenny seemed to suggest that Bobby Reid's mother feeding him chicken was a sign of weakness. I suppose the Bradford story is more endearing because he's been wildly successful, and everyone loves him, while Reid's upbringing was somehow flawed because he struggled playing at the college level.
I know its just a stupid puff peice, but I really don't like this kind of hero-worship. Sam seems like a nice guy from the few times I've met him, but cold hard truth is that no one would ever care about his upbringing if OU had gone 8-4 this year.
Texass has had higher rated recruiting classes than OU almost every year. I guess more stars = less talent because all we've been hearing is how Colt's doing it all on his own.
Watch and Listen to the Colt supporters. It is not his stats, not his play, they all parrot the same thing - Colt is doing it without the talent the Tebow and Bradford have.
I like the way they approached Sam's ambitions, if it's good and wholesome and he shows intrest they supported him 100%. I have three of my own and I've wondered about sports and music and what not. So far so good, this just reaffirms it for me, Sams a good youn man - he'll go far in life.
For those of you who listen to country music, or even Top 40, doesn't cooter,cooterville/rick, edmond (same person) remind you of the guy that brad paisley is talking about in his song "online"?
I am a die hard Sooner fan. I have been my whole life. I did know about Tebow's devotion to his Christian faith, and I also know about Colt McCoy's devotion to his Christian faith. They could not have 3 better role models at the Heisman ceremony on Saturday. Any way it falls, I will not be disappointed to see a fine young man win a great, and deserved, award.
Also, Kent and Martha, job well done, there needs to be more parents like this. I know how much I enjoyed have two boys playing on competitive baseball teams and how my wife and I had to take turns with each of them on weekends. My wife and I did not get to spend the weekends together, but neither one of us would have had it any other way. Our boys were our A #1 priority, as it should be
As a Cowboys fan I wish Sam the best in this as he has proven he is worthy of the award but I want to know why Jenni couldnt write this kind of article on Bobby Reid instead of the one she wrote because all in all he was a great person that just wasnt meant for the spread formation but rather the conventional I formation or drop back type qb....anyway once again good luck to Sam in NYC.
Every child born should have the same loving parents as Sam has...he has values that will influence and stay with him all his life...they, his parents, should win a 'Heisman'...All the best wishes ...
Boo/Salem
I have mixed feelings about Bradford receiving the Heisman trophy. He deserves it, no doubt about that. However, when he wins the Heisman and the national championship where will he go from there. Nothing left to accompish at the collegiate level unless he wants to go for three trophies. The money from the NFL sure looks great and there is plenty of it for him. Again he deserves it. However, as a Sooner fan it sure would be nice to have a quality guy like Sam around for another two years to keep adding to the Sooner football glory. I know whatever decision he reaches will be the right one for him. GOOD LUCK SAM!! BEAT THE GATORS!!! GO SOONERS!!!!
sam is a very humble and quiet person. he puts everyone first before himself,just like jason white was. if sam had his choice he would rather have the national-championship too share with his teammates than individual heisman award. sam should win it hands down his stats tell is all. sam should get the native american indian award nation wide and oklahoma too. hopefully sam comes back for his junior season at oklahoma. he is having so much fun and a smart kid too. the money will come later. the nfl scouts all they care about is signing him on there dotted line too represent him. sam no-matter what your decision is after the big game, wish you the best in life. lead your team down the field and encourage others around you always. go sooners and lets get the 8th national-championship for the state of oklahoma and show the national audience oklahoma came too play. boomer sooner-ou-johnny-olney,tx.
Hey Mike from anonymous - leave joe alone, i think it's hilarious - if you don't like joe's comments - get a life - you knocking someone else from somewhere else when you cant even post your own city is childish -
Hey Fake Joe,Austin, why dont you sign as "Cooter,Cooterville" and do the same thing. He likes to make off beat comments and get people wound up. Maybe you could make Cooter funny too. He is mostly bitter. His Momma stopped doing his laundry.
Hey Joe from Austin or whomever you are. Get a life. You posting as someone else is childish and ignorant. If you don't like what someone is posting, don't read the blogs.
Sam's setting up his memorabilia store in Penn Square Mall this weekend if he wins the Heisman, he knows the legacy of failed Heisman winners for OU and wants Jason White to help him stock the shelves.
Off Topic: To anyone who enjoys the history of college football and it's impact, please read the following obituary: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/education/12kemp.html?_r=1 She changed how we (society)treated football players - actually seeing to it that they are educated in the process!
Good advice, Greg. Don't be drawn into Rick's little world of stupitidy. He obviously doesn't have a life. No need to answer this, Rick. I won't be reading it.
Robert, that just shows how humble Sam is. Sure, inside he is excited. He could always have declined the invitation, but he did not. It is humility. Even if he would have completed the victory we had in Dallas, even though the score did not show it, we won that game. Sam had 5 TD passes, McCoy only had 1 TD pass. We really did outplay Texas until Ryan Reynolds got hurt, the 3 bad calls by the officials letting Texas keep the ball when it should have become OU's ball, and Gresham missing the block right in front of him, then we would have won that game. Even if that happened, Sam would still more than likely act the same way.
Humble people are great that way. Even Jason White had the same attitude, yet if you ask him now, he will say that inside there were butterflies. Yes it is an exciting thing. I'm just glad he did not act like Rick and say, Of course I should be there, I'm the best QB in the nation, I should win it. I can only imagine that is how Rick would act. Sam is as classy as Bob Stoops.
there goes cooter/rick again. What a loser, i'd be willing to bet you got laughed off of the playing field when you tried out for high school sports. I really feel sorry for you, you were probably the kid that got picked on by the nerds. I bet you're actually about 16, no real job, drop out. Otherwise how is it that you can be on here at 4 a.m. everyday posting your nonsense, and not leave until you probably go to sleep. How is it a slam on Jason white for opening up a couple stores? he's probably doing a hell of a lot better than you ever will. He actually has 3 sooner merch. stores, and i believe 2 shoe stores. Sounds to me like he's doing pretty good. The reason he's not playing in the NFL right now is because he had torn both of his ACL's and they let him go because of it. So it definitely wasn't due to how he was playing. Get your facts straight before you come on here talking crap
Hey everyone, I don't know if anyone already put it in here, or if you already know about it and/or have done it, but we need to vote for Bob Stoops for Coach of the Year:
http://www.coachoftheyear.com/
He is on the left side (Div. 1) and about 8 down... so you'll have to Wait until the page fully loads to be able to scroll down.
Too bad they did not list them by order of BCS Rank so he would be at the top. Oh well. You can only vote one time per day, unless your computer does not accept the cookie it places on your computer to inform the site that you already voted today.
I am going to post this on all the messages for every article about the sooners, just so you know. We need to help Bob Stoops.
Rick, it seems to me that you should move to Florida where the kind of love you exude would be better appreciated. You have written hateful comments about a story concerning parent's love for their child. There is no excuse for that sort of behavior from anyone. It seems to me, from watching events on TV, that all three of the Heisman candidates are nice, reasonably humble, young men who just happen to be gifted athletes. They don't need, nor deserve, the kind of hatred you spew in your comments, especially about a column such as this one. I'm an OU Sooners fan and I wish nothing but success for my favorite team, which means I hope we beat Florida on Jan. 8. If we don't, then I will still be an OU fan, just a disappointed one. I won't be calling for Bob Stoops' head, nor Brent Venables or anyone elses. OU is a great football team with a great coaching staff playing in a tough conference against other great football teams. Get it through your head that it was a THREE-WAY tie, so head-to-head can't be the only consideration. If so, then TTU belongs in the equation just as much as Texas. OU is there, they aren't. Simple as that! Great story. Well written. I enjoyed it muchly. Go sooners!
As a school teacher, I appreciate parents like Sam's. I'm sure he was never a problem in school (straight A student), but I'm also sure mom and dad would have given him some of that "tough love" had a teacher called them about Sam's behavior. It's to bad we don't have more parents like this. There's never been anything wrong with giving children what they want as long as they understand there are responsibilities and limits as far as behavior goes. By the way Rick, you couldn't carry Sam's jock.
Rick - I really feel sorry for you. The story is about how loving parents raised a fine young man who apparantly has all of the qualities you want in a child. Can't you let go of the hate? What a sad world-view. I watched the ESPN awards show last night and got misty-eyed watching the story about Tim Tebow's efforts to live his Christianity by working with and witnessing to Filipino orphans and prison inmates. Like Bradford, Tebow is a fine young man and a wonderful role model. Maybe you should try to pattern your life after theirs. I am a die-hard Sooner fan and hold two degrees (undergrad and graduate) from OU. I want my team to win for my school. I want Sam to win the Heisman. And that means I want Florida to lose. But I don't want them humiliated and destroyed. Look in the mirror, Rick.
He is humble. However, I enjoy trying to read him because while Colt McCoy was giving his sideways compliments (we beat UM and OU but they're great teams) to Oklahoma and Tim Tebow, praising it up and giving everyone credit. He didn't mention the others, he just answered the questions truthfully and had a look like this is fine but I really want to kick your a*&. I have no doubt OU is going to show up and win the National Championship.
Rick,
Sounds like your parents did a lousy job of raising you, otherwise you wouldn't always be so unbelievably negative. You are apparently a miserable person and hopefully will never have a child; it would be totally unfair for a child to have you for a parent. I doubt seriously if you ever played a sport, it sounds like you are a typical wanna be who is envious of others successes. Maybe you should spend more time trying to improve yourself rather than trashing things that are positive. Life is too short to live every day as miserably as you must.
Robin, Princeton Junction - Dec 12, 2008 at 7:36 am
What is amazing is that Sam is so well adjusted and humble, and he's an only child. Only children tend to act more like Bomar did. Sam's parents did an outstanding job raising a wonderful kid.
I cant wait to see chokelahoma fall flat on there face ONCE again.Tebow is going rip that typically weak Big 12 defense apart..Im going on record saying that Texas should have gotten the nod over the sooners because they beat them head to head.Im begging the sports writers,coaches and the rest college football world to please remember that choklahoma and chokehio state do not belong in a BCS championship games....How many times do we have to watch these two universities be stomped in front of the nation by better teams????? Next year if the sooners or buckeyes are in the mix for the national championship,PLEASE just say NO!!! Invite USC,Utah,Boise State,LSU,I really dont care, as long as its not the 2 biggest loser programs in the history of the BSC.
Go Gators!!!!
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Published: December 12, 2008
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"They always told each other that if Sam ever complained, ever said he didn’t want to play anymore, they would support that decision.
Kent and Martha enjoyed skating at a nearby ice rink, and after Sam asked for skates for Christmas when he was 5 years old, he started taking lessons. After a week or so, he wanted to quit. The coach was rough. So was the sport.
"Oh, no,” his mother told him. "We don’t quit. We paid for 12 lessons. We’re going to finish this out.”
So, he wanted to quit...but his parents wouldn't let him...even though they said if he wanted to quit they'd let him.
I'm cornfused? Does anyone ever proofread Jenni's crap?
I know its just a stupid puff peice, but I really don't like this kind of hero-worship. Sam seems like a nice guy from the few times I've met him, but cold hard truth is that no one would ever care about his upbringing if OU had gone 8-4 this year.
if u win the award dont let it get into your head until you win us the NC too.
GO SAM BRADFORD
Also, Kent and Martha, job well done, there needs to be more parents like this. I know how much I enjoyed have two boys playing on competitive baseball teams and how my wife and I had to take turns with each of them on weekends. My wife and I did not get to spend the weekends together, but neither one of us would have had it any other way. Our boys were our A #1 priority, as it should be
Boo/Salem
BUWAHAHAHAH!!!
Humble people are great that way. Even Jason White had the same attitude, yet if you ask him now, he will say that inside there were butterflies. Yes it is an exciting thing. I'm just glad he did not act like Rick and say, Of course I should be there, I'm the best QB in the nation, I should win it. I can only imagine that is how Rick would act. Sam is as classy as Bob Stoops.
http://www.coachoftheyear.com/
He is on the left side (Div. 1) and about 8 down... so you'll have to Wait until the page fully loads to be able to scroll down.
Too bad they did not list them by order of BCS Rank so he would be at the top. Oh well. You can only vote one time per day, unless your computer does not accept the cookie it places on your computer to inform the site that you already voted today.
I am going to post this on all the messages for every article about the sooners, just so you know. We need to help Bob Stoops.
Sounds like your parents did a lousy job of raising you, otherwise you wouldn't always be so unbelievably negative. You are apparently a miserable person and hopefully will never have a child; it would be totally unfair for a child to have you for a parent. I doubt seriously if you ever played a sport, it sounds like you are a typical wanna be who is envious of others successes. Maybe you should spend more time trying to improve yourself rather than trashing things that are positive. Life is too short to live every day as miserably as you must.
Go Gators!!!!