15 Things You Might Not Know About Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford looks to be the Eagles quarterback. Our collective Super Bowl hopes and dreams rest in his and Chip Kelly’s hands. We know he’s had injuries. We know he’s a former Heisman Trophy winner. However, you might not know these things about Sam Bradford:

1. The origins of the surname Bradford may have meant Sam was destined for Philadelphia. The ancient name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is often linked to the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire. Bradford comes from Olde English (pre 7th Century)  “brad” meaning broad. (www.surnamedb.com)

As in Broad Street?

Ford can mean “crossing a shallow area of water.” However the origins of ford go back to the Old English word faran, which means to go. 

Basically, Bradford means “to go Broad.” Could this mean Sam is destined for a Super Bowl parade down Broad Street?

2. The crest of the surname Bradford contains Eagles’ colors. The coat of arms granted to a Bradford family is silver and contains a green snake in a peacock’s mouth. (www.surnamedb.com)

3. Gil Brandt loves Sam Bradford. Who? Gil Brant. He’s a legendary talent evaluator who worked for the Cowboys and was an innovator in devloping a ground-breaking computer traits system that is still relevant. (www.usatoday.com). His 1964 draft produced 11 Hall of Famers. He happened to draft Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. Brandt attended Bradford’s private workout in 2010 and had this to say:

“It really was a treat to watch, and I think everyone here was in awe of Bradford’s performance. In fact, he put on the best quarterback workout by a draft prospect that I’ve seen since I watched a private workout Troy Aikman put on for us with the Cowboys in California.”

4. The street turning into Bradford’s high school parking lot is named Sam Bradford Drive.

5. Sam Bradford played AAU basketball with Blake Griffin on the elite Athletes First team in Oklahoma. His coach, Gary Vick, says Bradford could’ve played big-time college basketball if he chose that route. He also averaged 18.4 points and 10.5 rebounds as a senior for his high school basketball team.

6. He’s a religious guy. Sam Bradford has done video spots for Christian groups and in an interview with the 700 Club he stated:

“I remember going every Sunday morning, just listening and learning more about the Lord. Probably after a couple of months, I really decided that I wanted to give my life to the Lord. And, ever since then it’s something that I really try to make a strong point in my life,”

7. Bradford has a vertical leap of 33 inches.

8. He’s a member of the Cherokee tribe. 

9. He might be dating University of Arkansas golfer Emma Lavy. The two have been linked in rumors. This picture is from Emma Lavy’s twitter accountEmma Lavy and Sam Bradford

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. He used to date super model Karlie Kloss. 

11. Rival Sports ranked Bradford as the 12th best Pro Style QB coming out of High School. He ranked behind Matthew Stafford (1), Josh Freeman (4), but ahead of Christian Ponder (14), Andy Dalton (23), Kameron Chancellor (27) and Colin Kaepernick (34).

12. Bradford might have had a hockey career. Sam played for Oklahoma City Junior Blazers under coach Mike McEwen, who won 3 Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders. McEwen tried to convince Bradford’s parents that he was good enough to play in the NHL if he would stick with hockey. It didn’t work. At one point Sam tried to convince his parents to move to Vancouver so he could focus on hockey. (USA Hockey Magazine)

13. Sam’s childhood here was Pavel Bure of the Vancouver Canucks. (USA Hockey Magazine). Bradford met Bure before a practice for the Sooners National Championship game in Miami and had this to say of the meeting:

“It was a complete surprise to me, but a moment I’ll never forget….I mean, I almost lost my breath there for a second. I couldn’t believe it.”

14. Bradford used to be an AXE Hair spokesperson. He even shaved his head for their AXE Buzzed Look Cream as part of a promotional campaign.

15. Sam is a scratch golfer. He told Bro Bible that he began playing at age 4 or 5 with his grandfather.