​Terry Bradshaw is closely identified with Fox NFL Sunday, but many younger fans may not realize that the Hall of Fame quarterback began his broadcasting career with CBS as his playing days were winding down in the late 1980s. Bradshaw first appeared as a guest commentator for CBS during its NFC postseason coverage as his NFL career drew to a close. After retiring following the 1983 season, he signed on as a full-time NFL game analyst for CBS, teaming with Verne Lundquist. In 1990, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst alongside Greg Gumbel, a role he held until Fox acquired the NFC rights in 1994, at which point Bradshaw followed the move to Fox.
The folksy 77-year-old has joked that he nearly missed that initial CBS opportunity because he left an important note in his pants on wash day. He recalled telling journalist Craig Melvin on Today’s Glass Half Full, “I was making, off my farm, believe it or not, a profit of $50,000 a year. And I said, okay, that’s plenty. It’s all I need, $50,000. And so I went back to the farm.” Bradshaw explained that after football, he turned to ranching, and one day a limousine pulled up while he was working cattle. Brent Musburger stepped out, telling him to call a man named Ted Shaker at CBS who wanted to talk. Bradshaw admits he didn’t fully grasp who Musburger was referring to, and since cell phones were not common at the time, he didn’t check the answering service or realize he’d been given a crucial contact. “And I never checked the answer service on my phone. I don’t even know how to use it. So they sent him down there. Gave me the number. I put it in my pocket, and we talked for a few minutes and had a good thing. He wished me luck, and he left this country-ass town. I can guarantee you when he pulled off the highway, he said, ‘All right boys, lock ’em up.’”
Bradshaw says he’s not sure how many days passed before he retrieved the number from his pocket. He repeatedly changed clothes since it was wash day, and his mother’s admonition to “Always empty your pockets” finally forced him to realize he needed to call the CBS contact. He eventually did, and the conversation that followed laid the groundwork for his CBS deal.
He recalled that he wasn’t sure who he spoke with at first—whether it was Ted Shaker or Terry O’Neil, the then-CBS Sports executive—and after some back-and-forth, they got to business. The executive told him, “Oh, I’m so glad you called. Look, I know you don’t have an agent. Let me just tell you over the phone, we want to hire you to do football games.” Bradshaw admits he wasn’t confident about his ability to call football games, but the executive assured him that they would teach him and that a three-year contract would be offered, with a salary of around $100,000 a year.
Bradshaw concedes that he initially felt he was terrible as a game analyst, but over three years he improved significantly. He and Verne Lundquist developed their on-air rapport, refining their approach to the broadcast. The partnership helped Bradshaw transition from a star quarterback to a recognizable voice in NFL analysis, a evolution that ultimately led him to Fox when they acquired NFC rights in 1994. Bradshaw’s journey—from farm to television booth, from uncertain rookie to seasoned analyst—highlights how some opportunities arrive in unexpected ways, often aided by chance encounters, a bit of stubborn luck, and a willingness to learn on the job.