Sam Bradford facts for kids
Bradford with the St. Louis Rams in 2012
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | November 8, 1987 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Putnam City North (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) |
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| College: | Oklahoma (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is an American former professional football player. He played as a quarterback for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Bradford went to Putnam City North High School. There, he was a star in football, basketball, and golf. In 2005, as a senior quarterback, he threw for 2,029 yards and 17 touchdowns. He received a scholarship offer from the University of Oklahoma, which he accepted.
After a redshirt season in 2006, Bradford played for the Oklahoma Sooners. In 2007, he threw for 3,121 yards and 36 touchdowns. In 2008, Bradford won the Heisman Trophy. He was only the second sophomore to win this award. He led his team to score the most points in NCAA history, passing for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns.
Bradford entered the NFL draft after the 2009 season. The St. Louis Rams picked him first overall in the 2010 NFL draft. In his first year, he set a record for most completions by a rookie. This helped him win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Later, he played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and Arizona Cardinals.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Talents
Sam Bradford was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He went to Putnam City North High School. He was great at many sports, including football, basketball, baseball, and golf.
He played baseball as a pitcher but stopped after his first year. In football, he was named All-City as a junior quarterback. In his senior year, he threw for 2,029 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State Team.
Bradford was also a talented basketball player. In his senior year, he scored 18.6 points and got 10.5 rebounds per game. He played on the same team as future NBA star Blake Griffin. In golf, he even beat future professional golfers.
When he was 12, Bradford also played ice hockey. His coach, Mike McEwen, said Bradford had the talent to play in the NHL.
College Football Journey
Sam Bradford received a scholarship to play football at the University of Oklahoma. He joined coach Bob Stoops's Oklahoma Sooners football team.
Starting at Oklahoma
Bradford took a "redshirt" year in 2006. This meant he practiced with the team but did not play in games. In 2007, he became the starting quarterback for the Sooners.
In his first game, he completed 21 of 23 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns. He broke a school record for passing yards in one half. In his second game, he broke another school record for most consecutive pass completions.
Bradford was named the college national offensive player of the week. He tied the school record for most touchdown passes in a game with five. He threw 25 touchdowns in his first nine games. He was on track to break the NCAA freshman record.
He broke the NCAA freshman record of 29 touchdowns in a game against Oklahoma State. The Sooners won the Big 12 Championship that year.
Heisman Trophy Winner
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In 2008, Bradford had an amazing season. He broke his coach's school record for passing yards in a game with 468 yards. He led the Sooners to win their third straight Big 12 Championship. The Sooners also broke a record for the most points scored in a single season with 702 points.
Bradford passed for 4,720 yards, 50 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions. After the season, he won the Davey O'Brien Award and the Heisman Trophy. The Heisman Trophy is given to the best player in college football. He was the second sophomore to win the Heisman. He was also the fifth Oklahoma player to win it.
Bradford was also named the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year. He was the third Oklahoma Sooner to win this award.
Final College Season
Bradford decided to stay at Oklahoma for his junior season in 2009. In the first game, he hurt his shoulder. He missed three weeks of games. He returned to play against Baylor. He completed 27 of 49 passes for 389 yards and one touchdown.
However, he re-injured his shoulder in a game against Texas. This injury ended his season. He then decided to enter the 2010 NFL draft.
College Awards and Statistics
Bradford received many awards during his college career:
- 2007 Sporting News Freshman of the Year
- 2008 Davey O'Brien Award Winner
- 2008 Heisman Trophy winner
- 2008 Associated Press College Football Player of the Year
- 2008 Sammy Baugh Trophy
- 2023 American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
Here are some of his college statistics:
| Season | Team | GP | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | TD | ||||||
| Oklahoma Sooners | |||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Oklahoma | 14 | 237 | 341 | 69.5 | 3,121 | 36 | 8 | 176.52 | 31 | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2008 | Oklahoma | 14 | 328 | 483 | 67.9 | 4,721 | 50 | 8 | 180.86 | 42 | 47 | 5 | |||
| 2009 | Oklahoma | 3 | 39 | 69 | 56.5 | 562 | 2 | 0 | 134.5 | 4 | −18 | 0 | |||
| Career | 31 | 604 | 893 | 67.6 | 8,403 | 88 | 16 | 175.6 | 77 | 36 | 5 | ||||
NFL Career Highlights
Sam Bradford was seen as a top player for the 2010 NFL Draft. He decided to enter the draft after his junior year at Oklahoma.
St. Louis Rams Years
On April 22, 2010, the St. Louis Rams picked Bradford as the first overall pick. He was the first No. 1 pick from Oklahoma since 1980. Bradford chose jersey number 8. On July 30, 2010, he signed a big contract with the Rams.
In his first regular season game, Bradford completed 32 passes for 253 yards. He threw one touchdown. Two weeks later, he got his first NFL win against the Washington Redskins. He passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns in another win against the Seahawks.
Bradford tied an NFL record for rookies with eleven touchdowns in his first eight games. He was named the NFL's offensive rookie of the month in October. He also set a record for most consecutive passes without an interception for a rookie.
He became the first rookie in NFL history to pass for over 300 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a road win. Bradford finished his first season with 354 completions. This broke Peyton Manning's record for most completions by an NFL rookie quarterback. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
In 2011, Bradford dealt with injuries. The team had a tough season. In 2012, he improved his play. He finished the season with 3,702 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. The Rams finished with a 7–8–1 record.
In 2013, Bradford started strong. He had 299 passing yards and two touchdowns in the first game. He threw for three touchdowns in two other games. However, he tore his left ACL during a game in Week 7. This ended his season. He missed the entire 2014 season due to another injury to the same ACL.
Time with the Eagles
On March 10, 2015, Bradford was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. In his first game as an Eagle, he completed 36 passes for a touchdown. In Week 4, he threw three touchdowns with no interceptions.
He led the Eagles to a big upset win over the New England Patriots in Week 13. Bradford finished his first season with the Eagles with 3,725 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. The Eagles finished with a 7–9 record.
In March 2016, Bradford signed a new contract with the Eagles. However, the Eagles later traded for the number two pick in the 2016 NFL draft to pick a new quarterback.
Playing for the Vikings
On September 3, 2016, Bradford was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. This happened after the Vikings' starting quarterback got a season-ending injury.
Bradford started his first game for the Vikings 15 days later. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Vikings to a win in their new stadium. He continued to play well, throwing touchdowns and avoiding interceptions.
In 2016, Bradford started 15 games. He completed 395 of 552 passes for 3,877 yards and 20 touchdowns. His 71.6% completion rate set a new single-season NFL record. This record was later broken by Drew Brees. Bradford's 395 completions also set a Vikings team record.
In Week 1 of 2017, Bradford completed 27 of 32 passes for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns. He won his first NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. However, he missed many games due to a knee injury. He was placed on injured reserve, ending his season.
Short Stint with the Cardinals
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On March 16, 2018, Bradford signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. He wore number 9 because number 8 was retired for Larry Wilson. After playing in three games, he was replaced by rookie Josh Rosen. Bradford was later released by the Cardinals in November 2018.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Sck | Yds | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2010 | STL | 16 | 16 | 7–9 | 354 | 590 | 60.0 | 3,512 | 6.0 | 18 | 15 | 76.5 | 27 | 63 | 2.3 | 1 | 34 | 244 | 7 | 2 |
| 2011 | STL | 10 | 10 | 1–9 | 191 | 357 | 53.5 | 2,164 | 6.1 | 6 | 6 | 70.5 | 18 | 26 | 1.4 | 0 | 36 | 248 | 10 | 7 |
| 2012 | STL | 16 | 16 | 7–8–1 | 328 | 551 | 59.5 | 3,702 | 6.7 | 21 | 13 | 82.6 | 36 | 124 | 3.4 | 1 | 35 | 233 | 7 | 1 |
| 2013 | STL | 7 | 7 | 3–4 | 159 | 262 | 60.7 | 1,687 | 6.4 | 14 | 4 | 90.9 | 15 | 31 | 2.1 | 0 | 15 | 97 | 3 | 1 |
| 2014 | STL | 0 | 0 | — | did not play due to injury | |||||||||||||||
| 2015 | PHI | 14 | 14 | 7–7 | 346 | 532 | 65.0 | 3,725 | 7.0 | 19 | 14 | 86.4 | 26 | 39 | 1.5 | 0 | 28 | 200 | 10 | 3 |
| 2016 | MIN | 15 | 15 | 7–8 | 395 | 552 | 71.6 | 3,877 | 7.0 | 20 | 5 | 99.3 | 20 | 53 | 2.7 | 0 | 37 | 276 | 10 | 5 |
| 2017 | MIN | 2 | 2 | 2–0 | 32 | 43 | 74.4 | 382 | 8.9 | 3 | 0 | 124.4 | 2 | −3 | −1.5 | 0 | 5 | 40 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | ARI | 3 | 3 | 0–3 | 50 | 80 | 62.5 | 400 | 5.0 | 2 | 4 | 62.5 | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | 6 | 33 | 3 | 2 |
| Career | 83 | 83 | 34–48–1 | 1,855 | 2,967 | 62.5 | 19,449 | 6.6 | 103 | 61 | 84.5 | 146 | 340 | 2.3 | 2 | 196 | 1,371 | 50 | 21 | |
Personal Life and Interests
Sam Bradford is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He was the first person from the Cherokee Nation to be a starting quarterback for a Division I university since the 1970s. In April 2023, he was inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. His father, Kent Bradford, also played football for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Bradford loves ice hockey. His favorite team is the Vancouver Canucks. He is also a very good golfer. He was a basketball player in high school too.
Bradford is a Christian. He shared his faith in a short film called I Am Second. In 2009, the mayor of Oklahoma City declared January 13 as "Sam Bradford Day."
Bradford got engaged to Emma Lavy in March 2016. They got married on July 15, 2016.
Images for kids
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Bradford (left), Joey Halzle (center), and Hays McEachern (right) during spring practice in April 2007
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Bradford throwing against the New York Jets in 2012.
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Bradford in 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Sam Bradford para niños
- List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
