Guelph
—  Independent city  —
Flag Coat of arms of Guelph Coat of arms Official logo of Guelph Logo
Nickname(s): The Royal City
Motto: Faith, Fidelity and Progress
Guelph Location of Guelph in Ontario
Coordinates: 43°33′N 80°15′W / 43.55°N 80.25°W / 43.55; -80.25Coordinates: 43°33′N 80°15′W / 43.55°N 80.25°W / 43.55; -80.25
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Wellington County (independent)
City Wards	6
Founded	April 23, 1827
Incorporated	April 23, 1879
Government
• Mayor	Karen Farbridge 2006-Present
• Governing Body	Guelph City Council
• MPs	Frank Valeriote (LPC) 2008-Present
• MPPs	Liz Sandals (OLP) 2003-Present
Area[1][2]
• Land	86.72 km2 (33.48 sq mi)
• Urban	78.39 km2 (30.27 sq mi)
• Metro	378.45 km2 (146.12 sq mi)
Elevation	334 m (1,096 ft)
Population (2011)[1][2]
• Independent city	121,688
• Density	1,325.5/km2 (3,433/sq mi)
• Urban	121,688
• Urban density	1,475.1/km2 (3,820/sq mi)
• Metro	141,097
• Metro density	335.6/km2 (869/sq mi)
Demonym	Guelphite
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code span	N1C, N1E, N1G, N1H, N1K, N1L
Area code(s)	519, 226
Website	www.guelph.ca

Guelph ( /ˈɡwɛlf/; Canada 2011 Census population 121,668)^[1] is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Waterloo and 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of downtown Toronto at the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 7. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it. Because of its low crime rates, clean environment and generally high standard of living, Guelph is consistently rated as one of the country's best places to live.^[3][4] in October 2011, Guelph was noted as having the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 4.1%^[5].

The name Guelph comes from the Italian Guelfo and the Bavarian-Germanic Welf. It is a reference to King George IV monarch at the time of its founding (whose family was from the House of Hanover, a younger branch of the House of Welf) and a tongue in cheek reference to the (then) ascendant German population in neighbouring Berlin (Kitchener). (Guelphs being the name given to the northern Italian factions who opposed the reign of the Holy Roman Empire, i.e. medieval Germany, in the 12th to 16th centuries).^[6]

History[link]

An 1855 map of Guelph

Before colonization, the area was considered by the surrounding indigenous communities to be a "neutral" zone. On selected dates members from these communities would meet and trade goods by the Speed River.^{[citation needed]}

Guelph was selected as the headquarters of the Canada Company, a British development firm, by its Canadian superintendent John Galt, a popular Scottish novelist who designed the town to attract settlers to it and to the surrounding countryside.^[7]

Galt designed the town to resemble a European city centre, complete with squares, broad main streets and narrow side streets, resulting in a variety of block sizes and shapes which is still in place today.^[8] The street plan was designed to resemble a lady's fan, many of the streets forming triangles (the segments of the fan)^{[citation needed]}. This technique had been used in other planned towns such as Buffalo, New York.^[7]

John Galt, the first superintendent of the Canada Company, established Guelph in 1827 to serve as the company's headquarters during the development of the Huron Tract. The town later came into its own as a prosperous railway and industrial centre.^[9] Guelph was founded on St. George's Day, April 23, 1827, the feast day of the patron saint of England.^[8] The town was named to honour Britain's royal family, the Hanoverians, who were descended from the Guelfs, the ancestral family of George IV, the reigning British monarch; thus the nickname The Royal City. The directors of the Canada Company had actually wanted the city to be named Goderich, but reluctantly accepted the fait accompli.

Guelph was the home of North America's first cable TV system. Ted Metcalfe created McLean Hunter Television and their first broadcast was Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953.^[6]

Guelph's police force had Canada's first municipal motorcycle patrol. Chief Ted Lamb brought back an army motorcycle he used during the First World War. Motorcycles were faster and more efficient than walking.^[6]

The city is home to the University of Guelph and Sleeman Breweries Ltd.. The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), the oldest part of University of Guelph, began in 1873 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto.

Guelph is home to three National Historic Sites of Canada: the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, McCrae House and Old City Hall.^[10]

Geography and climate[link]

Topography and water courses[link]

Downtown Guelph is situated above the confluence of the Speed and Eramosa, which have numerous tributaries. The Speed River enters from the north and the Eramosa River from the east; the two rivers meet below downtown and continue southwest. There are also many creeks and rivers creating large tracts of densely forested ravines, and providing ideal sites for parks and recreational trails. The city is built on many drumlins and buried waterways, the most famous being an underground creek flowing below the Albion Hotel, once the source of water used to brew beer.

Climate[link]

The weather and climate of this region of Ontario has cold winters and warm, humid summers, falling into the Köppen climate classification Dfb zone, with moderately high rainfall and snowfall. It is generally a couple of degrees cooler than lower elevation regions on the Great Lakes shorelines, especially so in winter, the exception being on some spring afternoons when the lack of an onshore breeze boosts temperatures well above those found lakeside.

Neighbourhoods[link]

The city of Guelph has numerous neighbourhoods

Economy[link]

Guelph boosts the economy from various sectors. This diversity has helped Guelph obtain the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 4.2%^[5]

Manufacturing is the leading sector, accounting for 24.3% of employment (2006 census). The second largest industry is Educational services, accounting for 11.3%.^[12]

26.1% (90/345) of business in the manufacturing industry are categorized as Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing businesses.^[13]

The City of Guelph's Economic Development Strategy identified life science, agri-food and biotechnology firms, environmental management and technology companies as growth industries on which to focus economic development activities.^[14]

Guelph's 3 largest employers include Linamar (8000), the University of Guelph (3700), and the Upper Grand District School Board (3400).^[12][15]

Demographics[link]

Guelph is the fifth fastest growing city in Canada with a population growth rate of about 2% per year. Guelph's population according to the Ontario Places to Grow plan is projected to be about 144,500 by the year 2021. Population varies throughout the year because of variations in the University of Guelph student population.^[16]

The 2001 census enumerated 114,943 residents of Guelph. 49.1% were male and 50.9% were female. 6.2% were under five. The average age is 35.7 years of age. Between 1996 and 2001, the population of Guelph grew 10.7%. The 2011 metro population density of Guelph was 335.6 people per square kilometre.

Historically, Guelph's population has been principally British in origin, with 92% in 1880 and 87% in 1921.^[7]

Now, some 10 percent of the resident population described themselves as visible minorities, predominantly South Asian mostly of Afghan, Indian and Pakistani origin: 2.43%, Chinese: 2.42%, Black Canadian/African Canadians: 1.25%, and many others including Filipino and Vietnamese. The city is mostly Christian: 74.17%, almost evenly split among Protestants and Roman Catholics. The largest non-Christian religion is Buddhism: 1.45%, followed by Hinduism.^[17]

Education[link]

There are two public school boards that operate inside the city. The Upper Grand District School Board administers all of Wellington County, as well as adjacent Dufferin County, while the Wellington Catholic District School Board administers Catholic education in Wellington County, including Guelph. The Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud offers French First language education for students with parents who had elementary and secondary education in French at École Saint-René-Goupil. The Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest, with similar entrance requirements, operates the École élémentaire L'Odyssée.There are also numerous private schools in Guelph: Cornerstone Canadian Reformed Christian School, Crestwicke Christian Academy, Guelph Community Christian School, Guelph Montessori School, Trillium Waldorf School, Wellington Hall Academy, and Wellington Montessori School, Echo Montessori. None of Guelph's schools offer the International Baccalaureate Program, compared to surrounding cities such as Kitchener and Waterloo.

Secondary schools[link]

Due to the presence of two different school boards, Guelph has numerous elementary and secondary schools. The secondary schools are as follows:

Public:

• Centennial C.V.I.
• College Heights C.V.I.
• Guelph C.V.I.
• John F. Ross C.V.I.

Catholic:

• Our Lady of Lourdes C.H.S.
• Saint James C.H.S.
• Bishop Macdonell C.H.S.

Post-secondary institutions[link]

• University of Guelph, one of Canada's top comprehensive universities, and home to the Ontario Agricultural College and the Ontario Veterinary College.
• Conestoga College has a small campus in Guelph.

Public library system[link]

The original Carnegie library in Guelph.

Although a private library had existed since 1832, a public library did not exist in Guelph until 1882, when the Free Libraries Act allowed municipalities to operate libraries. After occupying premises near City Hall, it moved into an Andrew Carnegie-funded building in 1905,^[18] which was eventually demolished in 1964. The current main branch building was opened in 1965.^[19]

Guelph is served by a growing library system composed of a main branch located in the downtown core, five branches and a Bookmobile. It holds a membership of over 85,000, the Guelph Public Library system's goals include preserving and indexing public materials relating to the history of Guelph. Although no formal program has been developed, the library acquires municipal records of archival value from the City of Guelph.

Government[link]

Municipal[link]

Old City Hall (Provincial Offences Court) at Night, Guelph, ON

The city is a single-tier municipality governed by a mayor-council system. The structure of the municipal government is stipulated by the Ontario Municipal Act of 2001. There are currently 12 councillors and a mayor, with 2 councillors representing each of the six wards.

The mayor and members of the city council serve four-year terms without term limits, with the next election in November 2014. Prior to the 2006 election, the mayor and city councillors served three-year terms.

Guelph City Council is responsible for policy and decision making, monitoring the operation and performance of the city, analyzing and approving budgets and determining spending priorities.

In 2010, Karen Farbridge defeated former councillor David Birtwistle, 54% to 38% for the mayor position. 8 incumbent councillors were re-elected, 4 rookie councillors were elected, 2 incumbents were defeated, 2 did not seek re-election.

Provincial[link]

Guelph occupies a single provincial riding of the same name, and is currently represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by Liz Sandals, a member of the ruling Ontario Liberal Party.

Federal[link]

Guelph also occupies a federal riding of the same name, and has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada by Frank Valeriote of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2008.

Culture[link]

Church of Our Lady, above city

Riparian restoration

Historic sites[link]

• Downtown Guelph: Many downtown streets are lined with Victorian era buildings, which are now well over a century old.
• Guelph Civic Museum, a museum located near Downtown Guelph. At Guelph Civic Museum one can find pictures, films and other antique materials related to the historic development of the City of Guelph at a 1850- three-story Guelph limestone building.

National Historic Sites[link]

• Old City Hall, a formal, classical civic building; built in 1856-57.
• McCrae House, home of John McCrae, author of "In Flanders Fields".
• Church of Our Lady Immaculate, a Roman Catholic church designed by Joseph Connolly, located downtown, is a local landmark.

Outdoor attractions[link]

Most of the natural attractions of Guelph are located beside the two rivers which pass inside the city, Speed River and Eramosa River.

• Guelph Lake
• University of Guelph Arboretum
• Riverside Park, located beside the Speed River at north of Guelph
• York Road Park
• Hanlon Creek Park (Preservation Park)
• Royal City Park and Wellington Street nature sites
• Exhibition Park (the oldest park in Guelph)

Arts facilities[link]

• The Macdonald Stewart Art Centre
• The Bookshelf Ebar Art Space
• Ed Video Media Arts Centre
• River Run Centre
• Guelph Youth Music Centre

Music[link]

Music has always played a large part in the lives of people living in Guelph. From a Bell Organ factory to the opera singer Edward Johnson, Guelph has been a source of musical contribution. Today, Guelph is particularly notable for its indie rock scene, which has spawned some of Canada's more notable indie bands. Guelph is also home to the Hillside Festival, a hugely popular music festival held at nearby Guelph Lake during the summer, as well as the Guelph Jazz Festival.^[20]

Sports teams[link]

The Guelph Storm at home ice in 2006.

Media[link]

Transportation[link]

Bus[link]

Guelph Transit provides local transportation around the city. On June 20, 2007, Guelph Transit launched a web-based system known as Next Bus.^[21] Global positioning satellites (GPS) technology and advanced computer modelling provide riders via the Internet, handheld devices (including Palms, Blackberries, and Web-capable cellular phones), or their telephones to receive accurate, real-time arrival and departure information. Intercity connections are made at the Guelph Bus Terminal.

GO Transit also provides service to both the University and the city's bus station via rapid transit buses.

Rail[link]

Guelph Train Station

Guelph was the first municipality in Canada to have its own federally chartered railway, the Guelph Junction Railway. This 16-mile link to the CPR is still municipally owned.

The following is cited from the 2010 community profile:

"Guelph is also served by both the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway. The City's own Guelph Junction Railway provides industry with freight handling facilities and connections to CNR and CPR. Via Rail provides inter‐city passenger rail service.  On December 19, 2011, GO Transit began commuter train service to Guelph, with 2 trains heading eastbound to Toronto in the morning, and 2 heading westbound in the evenings."^[22]

Highways[link]

• Highway 401 to Toronto and London.
• Highway 7 to Kitchener and Acton.
• Highway 6 to Hamilton and Owen Sound. This highway is known as the Hanlon Parkway for most of its length inside the city. The MTO has plans to extend the Hanlon to Kitchener, Ontario, as well they plan to upgrade the status to a controlled access Freeway

Twin cities[link]

• Loria, Veneto, Italy
• Castelfranco Veneto, Italy

People[link]

See Category:People from Guelph.

See also[link]

• Monarchy in Ontario

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Guelph

• City of Guelph

		Guelph/Eramosa
	Guelph/Eramosa		Puslinch
		Guelph    East
		Puslinch

v t e Guelph, Ontario Government City Council · Federal electoral district · Grand River Conservation Authority · Police Service · Provincial electoral district · Public Library · Transit · Wellington County · Guelph City Hall Places Old City Hall · Downtown · McCrae House · Memorial Gardens · Church of Our Lady Immaculate · River Run Centre · Sleeman Centre · Stone Road Mall · University of Guelph Transportation Bus Terminal · Goderich-Exeter Railway · Hanlon Parkway · Guelph Junction Railway · Guelph Central Station Nature Arboretum · Arkell Spring Grounds · Eramosa River · Speed River

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Terry Bradshaw

Terry Bradshaw at the Pentagon.
No. 12
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1948-09-02) September 2, 1948 (age 63)
Place of birth: Shreveport, Louisiana
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
College: Louisiana Tech
NFL Draft: 1970 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Debuted in 1970 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Last played in 1983 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Career history
Pittsburgh Steelers (1970–1983)
Career highlights and awards
Rated #50 NFL Player of all-time by NFL.com as of 2009 season 3× Pro Bowl selection (1975, 1978, 1979) 1× First-team All-Pro selection (1978) 1× Second-team All-Pro selection (1979) 4× Super Bowl champion (IX, X, XIII, XIV) 2× Super Bowl MVP (XIII, XIV) NFL 1970s All-Decade Team 1978 NFL MVP 1978 Bert Bell Award
Career NFL statistics as of 1983
TD-INT 212-210 Yards 27,989 QB Rating 70.9 Stats at NFL.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Terry Paxton Bradshaw (born September 2, 1948) is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). He is currently a TV analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday. He played 14 seasons with Pittsburgh, won four Super Bowl titles in a six-year period (1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979), becoming the first quarterback to win three and four Super Bowls, and led the Steelers to eight AFC Central championships. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility.

A tough competitor, Bradshaw had a powerful – albeit at times erratic – arm and called his own plays throughout his football career. His physical skills and on-the-field leadership played a major role in Pittsburgh Steelers history. During his career, he passed for more than 300 yards in a game only seven times, but three of those performances came in the post-season, and two of those in Super Bowls. In four career Super Bowl appearances he passed for 932 yards and 9 touchdowns, both Super Bowl records at the time of his retirement. In 19 postseason games he completed 261 passes for 3,833 yards.

Bradshaw is now suffering from short-term memory loss, which he attributes to his experiences as a pro football player.^[1][2]

High school and college[link]

Bradshaw was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the second of three sons of Bill and Novis Bradshaw.^[3][4] He attended Woodlawn High School and led the Knights to the 1965 AAA High School Championship game where they lost to the Sulphur Tors 12-9. While at Woodlawn, he set a national record for throwing the javelin 245 feet. His exploits earned him a spot in the Sports Illustrated feature Faces In The Crowd. Bradshaw's successor as Woodlawn's starting quarterback was another future NFL standout, Joe Ferguson, whose Buffalo Bills Bradshaw's Steelers would defeat in a 1974 divisional playoff game.

Bradshaw decided to attend Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. He has much affinity for his alma mater. He is a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and spoke before many athletic banquets and other gatherings.^[5]

In 1969, he was considered by most pro scouts to be the most outstanding college football player. As a junior, he amassed 2,890 total yards, ranking #1 in the NCAA, and led his team to a 9-2 record and a 33-13 win over Akron in the Rice Bowl. In his senior season, he gained 2,314 yards, ranking third in the NCAA, and led his team to an 8-2 record. His decrease in production was mainly because his team played only ten games that year, and he was taken out of several games in the second half because his team had built up a huge lead. As quarterback, Bradshaw threw his passes principally to teammates Larry C. Brewer (1948–2003) of Minden, the offensive end, and Thomas Allen "Tommy" Spinks (1948–2007), the split end who had also been Bradshaw's Woodlawn High School teammate. As a result, Brewer and Spinks were recorded among the top pass receivers in Louisiana Tech history.

NFL career[link]

Bradshaw was the first player selected in the 1970 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers; the Steelers drew the first pick in the draft after winning a coin flip tiebreaker with the Chicago Bears due to both teams having identical 1-13 records in 1969.^[6] In either case, Bradshaw was hailed at the time as the consensus number one pick, regardless of which team drafted him.

Bradshaw became a starter in his second season after splitting time with Terry Hanratty in his rookie campaign. During his first several seasons, the 6'3", 215 lb. quarterback was erratic, threw many interceptions (he threw 210 interceptions over the course of his career) and was widely ridiculed by the media for his rural roots and perceived lack of intelligence.

It took Bradshaw a few seasons to adjust to the pro game but once he did, he eventually became the premier quarterback in the NFL, leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to eight AFC Central championships and an unprecedented collection of Super Bowl rings. The Pittsburgh Steelers featured the "Steel Curtain" defense and a powerful running attack led by Franco Harris, but Bradshaw's strong arm gave them the threat of the deep pass, helping to loosen opposing defenses. In 1972, he threw the pass leading to the "Immaculate Reception", among the most famous plays in NFL history.

Bradshaw temporarily lost the starting job to Joe Gilliam in 1974, but he took over again during the regular season. In the 1974 AFC Championship Game against the Oakland Raiders, his fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Lynn Swann proved to be the winning score in a 24-13 victory. In the Steelers’ 16-6 Super Bowl IX victory over the Minnesota Vikings that followed, Bradshaw completed 9 of 14 passes and his fourth-quarter touchdown pass put the game out of reach and helped take the Steelers to their first Super Bowl victory.

Bradshaw acknowledged in his first autobiography, Man of Steel, that by 1974, he felt as if he was bottoming out. His first marriage to Melissa Babich had failed, his shoulder had been injured, and he was often sullen and depressed. The turnaround came when, according to his memoir, Bradshaw, already a born-again Christian, had a revelation: "I had separated myself from God. I lived only for Terry Bradshaw, not for God. I tried to be one of the boys and went to every honky-tonk I could find and chased women and behaved in a way that was totally alien to anything I had ever known before … my whole life was out of control … I was trying to be someone else and was doing a rotten job of it."

What happened to Bradshaw amounted to a second "conversion" experience. "I just put my head in my hands and began to cry and tremble all over and finally I blurted out, 'Here I am, God. I've tried to handle it all by myself and I just can't get the job done. So I'm placing my life in Your hands. I need some peace of mind and I know You can give it to me.'" The quarterback recalls feeling suddenly "stronger mentally and physically.… Being a starting quarterback didn't matter.… What mattered was that I was myself again and I was determined to stay that way."

In Super Bowl X following the 1975 season, Bradshaw threw for 209 yards, most of them to Lynn Swann, as the Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys, 21-17. His 64-yard touchdown pass to Swann (that travelled roughly 70 yards in the air)-- which was released a split-second before defensive tackle Larry Cole flattened him causing a serious concussion—late in the fourth quarter is considered one of the greatest passes in NFL history.

Neck and wrist injuries in 1976 forced Bradshaw to miss four games. He was sharp in a 40-14 victory over the Baltimore Colts, completing 14 of 18 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns, but the Steelers' hopes of a three-peat ended with a 24-7 loss to Oakland in the AFC Championship game.

Bradshaw had his finest season in 1978 when he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player by the Associated Press after a season in which he completed 207 of 368 passes for 2,915 yards and a league-leading 28 touchdown passes. He was also named All-Pro and All-AFC that year, despite throwing 20 interceptions.

Before Super Bowl XIII, a Steelers-Cowboys rematch, Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson famously ridiculed Bradshaw by saying, "He couldn't spell 'Cat' if you spotted him the 'c' and the 'a'." Bradshaw got his revenge by winning the Most Valuable Player award, completing 17 of 30 passes for a then-record 318 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-31 win. Years later, Henderson, who struggled for years to conquer drug addiction, admitted he was high on cocaine at the time of the interview. Bradshaw has in later years made light of the ridicule with quips such as "it's football, not rocket science."

Bradshaw won his second straight Super Bowl MVP in 1979 in Super Bowl XIV. He passed for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 31-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Bradshaw also shared the Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsmen of the Year" award with Willie Stargell that season.

After two seasons of missing the playoffs, Bradshaw played through pain — he needed a cortisone shot before every game because of an elbow injury sustained during training camp — in a strike-shortened 1982 NFL season. He still managed to tie for the most touchdown passes in the league with 17. In a 31-28 playoff loss to the San Diego Chargers, Bradshaw's last postseason game, he completed 28-of-39 passes for 325 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

After undergoing offseason elbow surgery, Bradshaw was idle for the first 14 games of the 1983 NFL season. Then on December 10 against the New York Jets, he felt a pop in his elbow while throwing his final pass, a ten yard touchdown to Calvin Sweeney in the second quarter of the Steelers' 34-7 win. Bradshaw later left the game and never played again. The two touchdowns Bradshaw threw in what would be the final NFL game played at Shea Stadium (and the last NFL game in New York City to date) allowed him to finish his career with two more touchdowns (212) than interceptions (210) for his career. In his 14-season career, Bradshaw completed 2,025 of 3,901 passes for 27,989 yards and 212 touchdowns. He also rushed 444 times for 2,257 yards and 32 touchdowns. He was 107-51 as the starting quarterback and the Steelers reached the playoffs 10 times. His career postseason record as a starter was 14-5. He was also selected to play in three Pro Bowl games.

While the Steelers no longer officially retire uniform numbers (with the exception of Ernie Stautner's #70), they have not reissued Bradshaw's #12 since he retired, and it is generally understood that no Steeler will wear that number again.

In 1999, he was ranked number 44 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Bradshaw holds the record for most games with a QB rating of 0, with 3 games.

After football[link]

In July 1997, Bradshaw served as the presenter when Mike Webster, his center on the Steelers' four Super Bowl title teams, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In 2006, despite the Steelers being one of the teams playing in the game, Bradshaw did not attend a pregame celebration for past Super Bowl MVP's during Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Michigan. According to reports, Bradshaw (along with three time MVP and close friend Joe Montana) requested a $100,000 guarantee for his appearance in the Super Bowl MVP Parade, and associated appearances. The NFL could not guarantee that they would make that much and refused. A representative for Bradshaw has since denied this report. After an appearance on The Tonight Show (February 6, 2006) Bradshaw stated that the reason why he did not attend the MVP parade was because he was spending time with family, that he hates the crowds and the Super Bowl media circus, and also that the only way he would attend a Super Bowl is when Fox is broadcasting the game (it was ABC who broadcasted Super Bowl XL), though Bradshaw attended several press conferences in Detroit days earlier. Bradshaw also stated that money was not an issue.

In April 2006, Bradshaw donated his four Super Bowl rings, College Football Hall of Fame ring, Pro Football Hall of Fame ring, Hall of Fame bust, four miniature replica Super Bowl trophies, and a helmet and jersey from one of his Super Bowl victories to his alma mater, Louisiana Tech.

Broadcasting career[link]

Bradshaw retired from football in 1983, and quickly signed a television contract with CBS to become an NFL game analyst in 1984, where he and play-by-play announcer Verne Lundquist had the top rated programs. Prior to his full-time work for them, he served as a guest commentator for CBS Sports' NFC postseason broadcasts from 1980–82.

Bradshaw was promoted into television studio analyst for The NFL Today in 1990 (which he hosted with Greg Gumbel through the 1993 season), and Fox NFL Sunday, where he normally acts as a comic foil to his co-hosts. On Fox NFL Sunday he hosts two semi-regular features, Ten Yards with TB, where he fires random questions at an NFL pro, and The Terry Awards, an annual comedic award show about the NFL season. He appeared on the first broadcast of NASCAR on FOX where he took a ride with Dale Earnhardt at Daytona International Speedway.

On June 19, 2008, Terry Bradshaw revealed on The Dan Patrick Show that he took therapeutic corticosteroid steroid injections, per his doctors' orders, during the 1970s to "speed healing." Corticosteroids, which are different from anabolic steroids and are used to reduce inflammation, are not banned from the NFL.^[7]

Bradshaw has the reputation of being the "ol' redneck," but, in co-host and former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson's words, the act is a "schtick."^[8] According to Johnson, Bradshaw deflects such criticism by stating that "he's so dumb that he has to have somebody else fly his private plane."^[8]

Bradshaw has also garnered the reputation for criticizing players and teams.^[9] Following Super Bowl XLVI he was confronted by Ann Mara, wife of the late Wellington Mara, and "heckled" for not picking the Giants to win on Fox NFL Sunday.^[10]

Business career[link]

During Bradshaw's early part of his career with the Steelers, he was a used car salesman during the offseason to supplement his income, as this was still during the days when most NFL players didn't make enough money to focus solely on football.^[11][12]

In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Terry Bradshaw Peanut Butter was introduced with Bradshaw's likeness on the jar.

Bradshaw has also written or co-written five books and recorded six albums of country/western and gospel music. His cover of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" hit Top 20 on Billboard's country chart (and #91 on the Hot 100) in 1976; two other tunes ("The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me" and "Until You") also made the country charts.^[13]

In 2001, Bradshaw entered the world of NASCAR by joining with HighLine Performance Group racing team to form FitzBradshaw Racing. He also is the spokesman for Jani-King international, Inc.

At the NASCAR 2001 Speedweeks, Bradshaw did a variety of on air trackside spoofs for Fox who was covering the Speedweeks and that year's first race, the Daytona 500. On the night of February 17, 2001, the night before the race, Bradshaw and Dale Earnhardt (Sr.) did a spoof for Fox-TV in which Earnhardt raced around Daytona International Speedway in a pace car with Bradshaw as a passenger, going at max 150 mph, scaring Bradshaw in a laughing way. The spoof finished with Earnhardt doing burnouts on pit road, and the two jumping on top of the car, as if they had won. Earnhardt also visited with Bradshaw's family. Little did either know that it would be Earnhardt's last night, as the next day on February 18, 2001, Earnhardt would be killed in a last lap crash at the Daytona 500. Bradshaw was the honorary starter for that race.

In November 2005, Bradshaw announced that he and a group of investors from Louisiana were interested in buying the New Orleans Saints. The Saints, who had been forced out of the Louisiana Superdome for the 2005 season by Hurricane Katrina, were operating out of San Antonio, Texas, and had to play most of their 2005 home games at the Alamodome there and at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Several actions and statements by Saints owner Tom Benson and several San Antonio and Texas officials fueled speculation that Benson wanted to move the team to San Antonio permanently. While the NFL opposed a move to San Antonio, there were rumors that they may allow the team to move to Los Angeles, which has been without an NFL team since 1995. Bradshaw, a Louisiana native, said that he did not want his home state to lose the Saints because of Katrina, and was willing to purchase the team to see to it that that would not happen. However, his plans fell through, as Benson was unwilling to sell the team. Despite Bradshaw's failed attempts to buy the team, the Saints ultimately remained in New Orleans and have been a key contributor in rebuilding New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In August 2007, Bradshaw was announced as a co-owner and spokesperson for Pay the Fan,^[14] a fantasy sports football and racing site.

Among U.S. consumers, Bradshaw remains one of pro football's most popular retired players. As of September 2007, Bradshaw was the top-ranked former pro football player in the Davie-Brown Index (DBI), which surveys consumers to determine a celebrity's appeal and trust levels.^[15]

On November 5, 2007 during a nationally-televised Monday Night Football game, Bradshaw joined former teammates including Franco Harris and Joe Greene to accept their position on the Pittsburgh Steelers 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Personal life[link]

Bradshaw has been married three times. He was married to Melissa Babish (former Miss Teen Age America of 1969)^[16] from 1972–73; to ice skater JoJo Starbuck from 1976–83; and from 1983–99, to Charlotte Hopkins, who is the mother of his two daughters, Rachel and Erin. His daughter Erin shows horses. His daughter Rachel is a graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and had appeared on Nashville, a reality show about musicians trying to make it in Nashville. All three of Bradshaw's marriages have ended in divorce, a subject he ridicules frequently on his pre-game show. For example, on October 2, 2005, he began a Ten Yards with TB piece on the Eagles' Jeremiah Trotter by discussing Trotter's ejection from a game prior to the kickoff and joking, "Nobody's been thrown out of a house that quickly since my last divorce." Also, on October 5, 2008, he compared the relationship between new Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn and starting quarterback Jason Campbell to a good marriage. Jimmy Johnson immediately joked, "What would you know about a good marriage?"

After his NFL career ended, Bradshaw disclosed that he had frequently experienced anxiety attacks after games. The problem worsened in the late 1990s after his third divorce, when he said he "could not bounce back" as he had after the previous divorces or after a bad game. In addition to anxiety attacks, his symptoms included weight loss, frequent crying, and sleeplessness. He was diagnosed with clinical depression. Since then he has taken Paxil regularly. He chose to speak out about his depression to overcome the stigma associated with it and to urge others to seek help.^[17]

Bradshaw's anxieties about appearing in public, away from the controlled environment of a television studio, led to an unintentional estrangement from the Steelers. When team founder and owner Art Rooney died in 1988, Bradshaw did not attend his funeral. A year later, during his Hall of Fame induction speech, Bradshaw made a point of saluting his late boss and friend, pointing to the sky and saying, "Art Rooney... boy, I tell you, I loved that man."

Still, Bradshaw never returned to Three Rivers Stadium for a Steelers game. When the last regular-season game was played there on December 16, 2000, Bradshaw was with the Fox NFL Sunday crew, doing their pregame show aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, while Fox covered the game live. Bradshaw expressed regret that he could not be there, but would later say privately that he did not feel he could face the crowds. It would not be until September 2002 when fellow Hall of Fame teammate and longtime friend Mike Webster died that Bradshaw finally returned to Pittsburgh to attend his friend's funeral.

In October 2002, Bradshaw returned to the Steelers sideline for the first time in 20 years for a Monday night game between the Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts. In 2003, when the Steelers played the 1,000th game in franchise history, Fox covered the game at Heinz Field, and Bradshaw returned to cover the game. In addition to appearing to take his position on the Steelers All-Time Team in 2007 as part of the team's 75th anniversary festivities, he also was on the sideline for the 2007 home opener, where the Steelers earned their 500th regular season win.

Politically, Bradshaw is a long-time supporter of the Republican Party.^[18] In 2012, he went on record on Fox News as supporting the candidacy of Newt Gingrich for the Republican Presidential Nomination.^[19] In the same interview, he also labeled linebacker Terrell Suggs "an idiot" for making comments critical of Denver quarterback Tim Tebow's public displays Christianity, saying Suggs "better be careful; if I were him I’d be on my hands and knees tonight asking for forgiveness because that’s totally unacceptable." ^[19]

Bradshaw has said he is interested in performing on Dancing with the Stars, on the condition that Paula Deen also appear.^[20]

Acting[link]

He has appeared in numerous television commercials, including a 2004 Radio Shack ad and 2012 NutriSystem ads boasting he lost 32 pounds. Bradshaw also had cameo appearances in many shows as himself, including Everybody Loves Raymond, Married... with Children and The League; He also appeared on Malcolm in the Middle with Howie Long as the trashy coach of a women's ice hockey team. He hosted a short-lived television series in 1997 called Home Team with Terry Bradshaw.

In addition to his television work, Bradshaw has appeared in several movies, including a part in the 1978 film Hooper which starred Burt Reynolds, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Sally Field, and 1981's appearance in The Cannonball Run. In 1980, he had a cameo in Smokey and the Bandit II which starred Burt Reynolds, Jerry Reed, and Sally Field. He made a guest appearance in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. in 1994, playing Colonel Forrest March, a rogue U.S. Army officer who gave orders to his squad (played by NFL members Ken Norton, Jr., Carl Banks and Jim Harbaugh) in a huddle using football diagrams.

Bradshaw appeared on Jeff Foxworthy's short-lived sitcom, The Jeff Foxworthy Show as a motivational speaker for people needing to change their life. Bill Engvall's character is affected by Bradshaw's ranting speakings of witchcraft and voodooo in his pre-game warm-ups.

On October 11, 2001, Bradshaw received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first and only NFL player (as of May 31, 2008) to do so.^[21][22]

In 2006, Bradshaw returned to the silver screen in the motion picture Failure to Launch. He and Kathy Bates played the parents of Matthew McConaughey's character. In one notable scene he appeared nude, a move which Jay Leno spent an entire segment mocking during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He mentioned on May 23, 2008, on The Tonight Show that he has been a guest 37 times, and that 34 of them were on a Friday, which happens to be the lowest watched night of television. He pleasantly joked with Jay about being a 'filler' guest. He made a similar reference in an appearance on March 15, 2010, stating he was asked to guest because of a cancellation. Jay stated that at least he wasn't appearing on Friday, which hosts the more famous celebrity guests. He is also a devout Christian and wrote the book Terry Bradshaw: Man of Steel. In 2009 he was featured in a New Yorker magazine piece that satirized the recent scandal over a fake Holocaust memoir written by Herman Rosenblat.^[23] Since 2010 Terry Bradshaw has been hosting television shows produced by United States Media Television. He is currently host of Today in America with Terry Bradshaw, a cable television show that features information on new trends in business and lifestyles.

Passing stats[link]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

See also[link]

• Most consecutive playoff games with at least two touchdown passes (NFL)
• Most wins by a starting quarterback (NFL)

American football portal

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlighthealth/2004-01-30-bradshaw_x.htm - Personal Life Section
• http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/bradshwt.shtml - Intro, NFL Career Section
• http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=31 - Intro, NFL Career Section
• http://www.mcmillenandwife.com/bradshaw_fox_bio.html - After retiring section
• http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/113169397889570.xml - New Orleans Section

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Terry Bradshaw

• FoxSports.com - NFL- TERRY BRADSHAW
• Terry Bradshaw Fantasy Football Blog
• Bradshaw's Hall of Fame page
• Terry Bradshaw at the Internet Movie Database
• Terry Bradshaw at Pro-Football-Reference.com