LOOKING DEEP

by Terry with Buddy Martin Bradshaw ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1989

Former Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Bradshaw reminisces here about his sterling career (the publication date coincides with his induction into the Football Hall of Fame)--a career that ended 40 years of football futility in Steeltown and brought the team eight consecutive playoff games and two sets of back-to-back Super Bowl victories in six years. It's no coincidence that the book begins with thoughts on the ""Immaculate Reception,"" the miraculous Bradshaw pass against the Oakland Raiders in 1972. Bradshaw, after all, was touted as much for his fundamentalist views as for his gridiron skills, a trait that intrudes in this volume, with its lack of typical locker-room lingo (even when Bradshaw is angry, his rage seems almost artificially controlled) and its humble attitude (""If I could model myself after one person, it would be my dad""; ""the Lord has showered me with blessings that I didn't necessarily deserve""). Bradshaw pays his respects to such teammates as ""Mean"" Joe Greene, who sheltered the rookie Bradshaw from the hawks of the press and taught the young Louisiana country-boy how to live in racial harmony. He attempts, awkwardly, to make peace with Coach Chuck Noll, with whom Bradshaw had a stormy relationship; speaks openly of the problems of the mutual celebrity marriage (his ex-wife is famous ice skater JoJo Starbuck); and, in the end, writes movingly of just what he wants from life now that his football days ate over (""I could go to the grave a happy man knowing that my kids turned out good""). A soft-focused look hack from one of pro football's greats.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Contemporary

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1989

Categories: NONFICTION