Leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft, current and former Steelers' players will be sharing their Draft Day Memories. In this installment, Terry Bradshaw talked to me about what draft day was like for him in 1970, and the one thing he wanted to be doing that day.
He also referred to the 'coin flip' between the Steelers and the Chicago Bears, who both had 1-13 records the previous year. The winner of it would get the first overall pick in the draft. Steelers' owner Dan Rooney allowed the Bears to make the call, and they said heads. When it came up tails, the Steelers were able to select Bradshaw.
*Terry Bradshaw - First Round – 1970 – Louisiana Tech University *
"The draft was no big deal back then. I thought I would go in the third or fourth round. It wasn't on television. I was going fishing. I had my truck and I was pulling out of the driveway and my dad stopped me and said where are you going? I told him I was going fishing.
"He told me it was draft day and he heard from the Bears. I told him I wasn't going until the third or fourth round. He told me you get out and you clean up. I was mad. I went and put on a jacket and tie for my dad. And then I got drafted number one.
"It didn't mean that much. I was coming here to the worst team in the NFL, which wasn't good.
"Like a lot of players we are looked at so often. The Saints spent so much time with me. Their whole coaching staff would come to Tech and watch me practice and to games. You are naive enough to think nobody else is coming and watching. You think they are the only ones that care anything about me.
"I was told by our coaching staff maybe late second round, third round. There was some talk about moving up. And the Pittsburgh thing. And then the coin flip.
"My dad had received a phone call earlier that morning from the Halas family saying they were trying to make a trade for me. I didn't find out about this until later. Then my dad talked to the Steelers and they said they weren't going to trade and keep the rights. It was just mumble jumble to me. You figure out what you are going to do and I am going to go fishing."
