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Anyone who follows the Pittsburgh Steelers, even those too young to have seen the ‘Blonde Bomber’ play for the black and gold, knows the name Terry Bradshaw. One of the few quarterbacks to win four Super Bowls, Bradshaw was the quarterback of the Steelers’ legendary dynasty of the 1970s.
Bradshaw was also the team’s top draft pick, and the first pick in the 1970 NFL Draft. The Steelers haven’t had many No. 1 overall draft picks in their history, but most would say they hit the ball out of the park on Bradshaw.
In a recent article by NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison, he ranked the top 50 No. 1 overall draft picks in the recent draft era, and Bradshaw was in the Top 5. He was No. 4 to be exact, and you can see what they said about Bradshaw below:
4) Terry Bradshaw, quarterback
Drafted by: Pittsburgh Steelers, 1970
One of only three quarterbacks to win four Super Bowls, Terry Bradshaw did it first. Though Bradshaw struggled the first five years of his career, the Steelers' draft investment paid major dividends in the late 1970s. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, partially because he was a highly successful game manager. Not later in his career, though, when his downfield passing often compensated for a defense that wasn't as strong as it had been. Pittsburgh doesn't win Super Bowl XIII and XIV without his 300-yard passing performances in each game. His 64-yard moon shot to Lynn Swann in Super Bowl X might be the best big-game throw ever.
It wasn’t always pretty for Bradshaw when he was in Pittsburgh, and it still isn’t pretty for Bradshaw as he transitioned from life in the lime light, to life in front of studio lights.
Bradshaw’s reputation has been tarnished in the Steel City for his comments made regarding Ben Roethlisberger and his off-field behavior early in his career, but most recently his comments made about Mike Tomlin being a “cheerleader” type of coach. Say what you want about Bradshaw the man, but Bradshaw the player is still considered one of the best big game quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL.