How do you narrow down to one specific moment as your absolute favorite if you quarterbacked an NFL team to four Super Bowl victories? It would seem nearly impossible, especially for those of us on the outside with no natural comparable feeling to hoisting a Lombardi Trophy, being named a Super Bowl MVP or joining your teammates to receive those oh-so-elusive commemorative championship rings.
FOX Sports shared a video of legendary Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw teasing the Hall of Famer’s “Favorite Super Bowl Moment” ahead of tomorrow’s 57th championship game. Whether Bradshaw was asked that question directly or not, he didn’t pinpoint to any of the dozens of moments he could choose from in those four trips in the 1970s. Instead, he spoke to how important and valuable it is just to be able to call yourself a champion and have those rings serve as a lifelong reminder of those achievements.
“I’ve never had anybody say, ‘Terry, how many yards did you throw for? Terry, how many touchdown passes did you [throw]? Never in my 74 years old history has anyone ever said that,” Bradshaw said. “But they have said, ‘Hey man, where’s your Super Bowl rings?’ So, that tells you that winning championships is easily the most important thing that you can ever accomplish as a football player. The rings are important.”
Bradshaw points out that he doesn’t wear his rings. Instead, he donated them to Louisiana Tech. A small school in Conference USA that often goes unnoticed or discussed much at all holds on its campus four Super Bowl rings won and earned by the former Bulldog.
“So, it’s a small school and so athletes can come in and look at that and go, ‘Well, if he could do it, I can do it’ – because they’ll find you anywhere,” Bradshaw said.
Of course, Bradshaw’s family could retrieve them whenever they like, but Bradshaw assures his three daughters won’t touch them. It’s not hard to see why as it’s clear in his voice that those rings were his life’s work as a professional and that journey began in Ruston, Louisiana.
The memories and historic moments are part of the work to own those rings.
Fans have their pick: Is it one of the miraculous circus catches by Lynn Swann against the Cowboys in Super Bowl X? Or maybe the game-winner to Swann three years later? One of the long touchdowns scores by John Stallworth? Take your pick of his nine touchdown passes that lifted the Steelers to that dynastic and at the time unprecedented run.
No matter your choice as a fan, those memories, those moments live in a display case down in Ruston, Louisiana within the rings he earned.
