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.
Thank you for joining our conversation on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy. Please help by flagging comments that violate these guidelines. Posts that contain obscene or vulgar language will be immediately flagged and not posted.
Jenni Carlson, a sports columnist at The Oklahoman since 1999, came by her love of sports honestly. She grew up in a sports-loving family in Kansas. Her dad coached baseball and did color commentary on the radio for the high school football games. Her mom kept the scorebook during baseball games and yelled her head off no matter the sport. They passed along that passion to Carlson and her two younger brothers. <br /><br /> Carlson played golf in high school and planned to play in college, but when she started at the University of Kansas, she decided to focus her attention on journalism. It’s a decision that she’s never regretted. <br /><br /> Her first big story was a profile on Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams for the yearbook, and Carlson has enjoyed interviewing sports figures and sharing their stories every since. Carlson is a 1997 graduate of Kansas. She and her husband, Ryan, were married in 2009 and live in Oklahoma City. Carlson was the president of the Association for Women in Sports Media from 2008-10 and is now the chair of the board. <br /><br />
Leave a comment
Prev
Follow
If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.
Would you like to leave a comment?
Log in or sign up (it's free).