It's Only a Game

by Terry Bradshaw, David Fisher (With)

Overview

This is the absolutely guaranteed 100% mostly true story of Terry Bradshaw: the man who gained sports immortality as the first quarterback to win four Super Bowls -- and the man who later became America's most popular sports broadcaster.
IT'S ONLY A GAME
"I had a real job once," begins a memoir as honest, unexpected, and downright hysterical as Bradshaw himself. From his humble beginnings in Shreveport, Louisiana, to his success as the centerpiece of the highest-rated football studio show in television history, Terry has always understood the importance of hard work. A veritable jack-of-all-trades, he has probably held more jobs than any other football Hall of Famer ever: pipeline worker, youth minister, professional singer, actor, television and radio talk show host, and now one of the nation's most popular speakers.
But let's not forget one of the reasons why so many people know and love Terry Bradshaw: he won four Super Bowls! In It's Only A Game, Terry brings the reader right into the huddle and describes the game from the bottom of a two-ton pile to the top of the sports world. You'll sit right on the fifty-yard line and watch as Terry earns the title world's greatest benchwarmer. And you'll also hear about the single greatest play in pro football -- the Immaculate Reception -- as he never saw it.
It's Only A Game is much more than a collection of Terry Bradshaw's favorite and funniest stories, it is the personal account of a great man's search for life before and after football...as only Terry could tell it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780743424332
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	08/01/2001
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	431,642
File size:	335 KB

About the Author

Terry Bradshaw was a four-time Super Bowl champion quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and is currently co-host of Fox NFL Sunday.

David Fisher has dedicated his life to eliminating hypocrisy at a profit. He is a man of intrigue and mystery. He is the author of the prize-winning novella Conversations with My Cat, Hard Evidence: Inside the FBI’s Sci-Crime Lab, as well as the bestsellers Gracie with George Burns, The Empire Strikes Back with Ron Luciano, and the reference book What’s What. He lives in New York City with his fantasies.

Read an Excerpt

I had a real job once. It was back about 1990. My ex-wife-to-be and I had moved to Dallas so she could get her law degree and I could learn how to play golf. I was determined to become a good golfer, but the ball seemed about equally determined to go wherever it wanted to go. I was playing golf four days a week and started feeling guilty about it. My buddies couldn't play when I wanted to because they all had jobs. And suddenly it dawned on me that I had never had a real American nine-to-five job. I'd worked hard my whole life and done a lot of different jobs; I'd done all the chores on a farm from baling hay to making buttermilk, I'd been a spot welder and worked on the oil pipelines, I'd been a youth minister. I'd been a pro football quarterback and won four Super Bowls -- and called all my own plays -- I'd been a television broadcaster, I'd sung professionally and made several CDs, I'd acted on TV and in the movies and coauthored two books. I'd been the world's worst cattleman and owned a horse ranch. I'd been a public speaker, a product spokesman, I'd done commercials, infomercials, and endorsements. I'd worked all my life, just the way I'd been taught by my father.

But I'd never had a real, honest-to-goodness get-up-in-the-morning-when-you're-too-dad-blamed-tired-to-look-in-the-mirror- and-see-this-creature-look-back-at-you- and-think-oh-my-goodness-gracious- and-get-dressed-in-a-tie-and-jacket- and-drive-downtown-in-rush-hour-traffic- having-to-listen-to-Gus-and-Goofy-on-the-radio- and-finally-arrive-at-the-office-to-face-a-pile-of-papers type of job. So I told my wife, "I got to get me an honest-to-goodness nine-to-five real job."

"What?" she said. I have to admit that the things I did often surprised my wife. Well, it wasn't personal -- they often surprised me too.

"I got to get a job." My self-esteem was suffering because all I was doing was playing golf. I was feeling very guilty that I was a fully grown man making my living as a sports personality. I felt that I was not part of mainstream America. Somehow it didn't seem right that I could be having so much fun without even knowing how to use a computer, send an e-mail, or even get on the Internet. It wasn't natural.

So I went out and got a job -- at Lady Love Cosmetics. So help me Butkus this is absolutely true. My job was to launch a line of shampoos, conditioners, and fragrances for men primarily to be sold at sports clubs.

We were going to change the aroma of the locker room. I went down to the chemical lab and started sampling the different choices of fragrances for our products.

I didn't know how to have a job. So I bought a briefcase, and each morning I would buy the Wall Street Journal,wrap it around my Sports Illustrated,and put it into my briefcase. I'd put on a starched shirt, a tie, and a jacket and go to my office at Lady Love Cosmetics, feeling proud that people could look at me and say, "That boy has a job." At my job I had a little office and I had a secretary that I shared with another man, and that was definitely fine with me because otherwise she would not have had anything to do. I had a phone, and I would call people to tell them, "I'm calling from my job."

I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn't a very good cosmetics salesman. The truth is I really didn't want to sell cosmetics, I just wanted to have a job. I would go to

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Library Journal A revealing, honest look at a personality whom many see only as the jovial football commentator on Sunday....An insightful tale readers will enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

The irreverent, unpredictable cohost of NFL Sunday gets personal in It's Only a Game. From his childhood in Louisiana to his 14 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bradshaw's funny, candid autobiography is a must-read for football fans. Bradshaw has had a variety of experiences off the field, from recording music to starring in movies, but his major activity outside of the football realm has been motivational speaking, for which he is particularly well suited owing to his great sense of humor, strong religious faith, and resilient character. Bradshaw's memoir -- a down-to-earth book about the game he loves and the often difficult life he has led -- makes it easy to see why he is such a favorite with sports fans all over the country.

bn.com

Bradshaw, former quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and now a television commentator, is funny, honest and apparently without airs. In this book, written with Fisher (The Umpire Strikes Back; Gracie), he freely discusses his childhood, religion, playing days and his post-football life. Bradshaw doesn't carry much baggage; he recognizes that he's had an enviable life. Perhaps his biggest challenge has been ADD; he always found school and reading difficult. While Bradshaw did go to LSU largely because of his ability as a football player he was teased mercilessly about his low grades and his inability to read well. He admits that it was painful at the time, but instead of dwelling on it, Bradshaw simply put more of his efforts into his sport. And, when he left the game, he says, "Once I accepted the fact that I could no longer play, I never looked back.... That's my form of emotional protection. It's the way I survive." Perhaps the most engaging sections of the book are near the end, when Bradshaw discusses his television stints, including some notable failures of his shows. Again, he's so straightforward about admitting that he was playing with the real pros that readers will laugh along with him. (Aug.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Bradshaw seems totally relaxed as he pokes fun at himself, football, network television, and life in general. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is probably best known for being the first quarterback to win four Super Bowl games, twice as most valuable player. Many will be more familiar with his TV career, first as an NFL game analyst for CBS sports and more recently as cohost of Fox NFL Sunday. Bradshaw did a lot of bench-sitting as backup quarterback in his high school and college days and later went through three divorces on his way to making his life a success. His recollections of the ups and downs, the good and bad times of football and of life are pretty amusing in the retelling. He wants folks to have a good time and to remember that he always called his own plays; he also really enjoys himself reading this audio, laughing, hooting, and hollering along with his story. Sports fans should really enjoy this one. At points, it's laugh-out-loud funny. Highly recommended for sports or biography collections. Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Library Journal A revealing, honest look at a personality whom many see only as the jovial football commentator on Sunday....An insightful tale readers will enjoy.

From the Publisher