Terry Bradshaw reminisced on when he had to decide between getting spanked by his father or missing the chance to watch the NFL Championship game during his childhood
17:39 ET, 13 Nov 2025Updated 17:40 ET, 13 Nov 2025
NFL legend and TV personality Terry Bradshaw smiling
View 2 Images
Terry Bradshaw spent his early childhood living in Camanche, Iowa before moving back to Shreveport, Louisiana(Image: Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Terry Bradshaw has always loved football, even from a young age.
Before he won four Super Bowls as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers and became a television icon as a studio analyst on FOX NFL Sunday, Bradshaw was a normal kid growing up in Camanche, Iowa.
Article continues below
On the Sunday of the 1956 NFL Championship game between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, a young Terry proved to his father he would do anything to watch the game, including getting spanked, the NFL legend revealed on the 'Nothing Left Unsaid' podcast.
Article continues below
The previous day, Bradshaw disobeyed his mother, Novis, by going to his friend Jimmy’s house to shoot pool when he was supposed to come straight home after his haircut. His punishment was a spanking, which frightened the youngster.
READ MORE: Terry Bradshaw explains the piece of advice he'll never tell his childrenREAD MORE: Terry Bradshaw lets cat out of the bag and leaks next TV show away from football
But later that day, Bradshaw was given a choice by his father, Bill, who was a veteran of the United States Navy. It was either Bradshaw be spanked by his dad and get to watch the championship game on TV, or avoid the spanking and stay in his room all night, missing the game.
“Well that’s a no brainer there, I’m taking the spanking,” Bradshaw said. “My dad’s like, ‘That’s my boy!’”
“Spank me, beat me, I don’t care what you do, but I’m watching that game,” Bradshaw continued. “My dad was so proud of me. He says, ‘Look, your mother says not to do something, don’t do it, ok?’”
Terry Bradshaw and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni after the Super Bowl
View 2 Images
One of Terry Bradshaw's many television gigs include interviewing the Super Bowl champions every year(Image: Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
“Now I’m going to get my belt off, and I’m going to spank this bed, and you holler. I spank, you holler,” Bill told his son.
“And I went, is this serious? We’re setting this up? My dad is going to play this game with me?” Bradshaw said.
Bill then smacked his belt against his son’s bed repeatedly, with Terry crying out as if he was being hit. After they finished, Bradshaw stayed put for five minutes before timidly emerging from his room to watch the game.
“That one day is when my dad really realized how much he loved me,” Bradshaw said.
Article continues below
READ MORE: Terry Bradshaw hid shoes in pipes and went to school barefoot before legendary NFL careerREAD MORE: Aaron Rodgers leaves Cris Collinsworth red-faced by correcting Steelers claim
Bradshaw claims that his mother never found out about the ploy, but he also never went by his friend’s house to shoot pool again, either.
That day, Bradshaw, who recently revealed the piece of advice he will never give his children, proved to his dad just how much he loved the game of football, a passion he has continued to show the world in seven decades since.
The ‘Blonde Bomber’ has gone on to have a legendary career as a player and television personality, which is still going on. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame, Bradshaw plans to retire from television after the 2029 Super Bowl.