Terry Bradshaw is one of the most iconic broadcasters in NFL history.
The four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers went on to become one of the most entertaining and beloved figures in NFL media. Bradshaw is best known for his time with NFL on FOX, though he's worked for several different networks over the course of his career.
Bradshaw's first NFL broadcasting opportunity came with CBS. He began working as a guest commentator for CBS during its NFC postseason coverage in the 1980s. He signed a full-time deal after retiring from the NFL in 1983, later joining FOX in the 1990s.
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But, as it turns out, Bradshaw nearly missed out on his first NFL broadcasting opportunity, due to a laundry mistake.
Bradshaw revealed in an interview with the "Today" show host Craig Melvin that he nearly accidentally washed a number he was supposed to call at CBS.
NFL legend opens up about broadcasting opportunity mistake
“I was making, off my farm, believe it or not, a profit of $50,000 a year,” Bradshaw told Craig Melvin on Today’s Glass Half Full. “And I said, okay, I said, that’s plenty. That’s plenty. It’s all I need, $50,000. And so I went back to the farm.
“… And so when football was over with, I just went to ranching, and a limo pulled up one day. We were working cattle. It was Brent Musburger. And he got out, and he said, ‘You need to call this guy. He’s Ted Shaker at CBS. He wants to talk to you.’ And I said, Who? What? And he said he was going off to do a deal, but they’d send him down there because back then you didn’t have cell phones. And I never checked the answer service on my phone. I don’t even know how to use it. And so they sent him down there. Gave me the number. I put it in my pocket, and we talked for a few minutes and had a good thing. He wished me luck, and he left this country-(expletive) town. I can guarantee you when he pulled off the highway, he said, “All right boys, lock ’em up.”
“And so I don’t know how many days went by. I put the note of the number in my pocket. I took the pants off because they were dirty. Each day I would change clothes. And then it was wash day. … My mother said, ‘Always empty your pockets.’ So I’m emptying the pocket. I went, ‘Oh, I’m supposed to call this guy.
Thankfully, as Awful Announcing notes, Bradshaw ended up making the call - and the rest is history.
“He said, ‘Oh, I’m so glad you called. Hey, look, I know you don’t have an agent. Let me just tell you over the phone, we wanna hire you to do football games.’ And I said, ‘I don’t know how to do football games.’ ‘Well, you come here, we’re gonna teach you how to do football games. We’re gonna give you a 3-year contract, and you’re gonna make-‘ what did I make it? Uh, $100,000 a year,” he added.
Bradshaw is now making a lot, lot more at FOX, ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
