Sam Bradford
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Born Samuel Jacob Bradford on November 8, 1987 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sam plays quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners in the NCAA college football tournament. In just his first collegiate start, Bradford has already made head turns with a career game against North Texas where he set his career best in passing yards and in the process broke a record for passing yards in a half. Bradford has also been consistently in the lead among the nation's quarterbacks in terms of passing as he leads the likes of Tim Tebow, Graham Harrell, Dennis Dixon, and Colt Brennan in the QB rating category. He ended his freshman year as the most efficient passer with a rating of 176.5.
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[edit] Personal Life
Sam, a member of the Cherokee Nation, is the only son of Kent and Martha Bradford. Sam's father is one-eighth Native American, his mother is white but is one-sixteenth Native American, while his great grandmother, Susie Walkingstick, was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian. Aside from football, Sam has also played golf and basketball. He has a vertical leap of 34.5 inches. Sam is a second-generation Sooner as his father, currently an Oklahoma City insurance agent, also suited up for Oklahoma from 1975-78 under Barry Switzer.
[edit] High School
Bradford played for Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma under coach Bob Wilson. As member of Putnam City North's basketball team during his senior year, he normed 18.4 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Panthers. On the football field, Bradford threw for 2,422 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior and was named All-State second team by The Oklahoman and was also listed as an Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State. Bradford ranked among the nation's top 20 prospects at quarterback, listed behind the likes of Matthew Stafford and Mitch Mustain among the high school class of 2006. The SuperPrep All-American and PrepStar All-American was ranked no.17 QB in the nation by CollegeFootballNews.com, Scout.com, PrepStar.com, and SuperPrep. He was also listed as the no.12 pro-style quarterback in the nation and the no.6 player in Oklahoma by Rivals.com, and was ranked as the no.15 player in the Midlands by SuperPrep.
[edit] College
Among the teams that recruited Bradford were Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Michigan, and a few others.
[edit] 2006
Redshirted.
[edit] 2007
After Oklahoma's Rhett Bomar was kicked off the team for violating NCAA rules in 2006, and senior quarterback-wide receiver Paul Thompson, who led the 2006 Oklahoma team to the Big 12 championship, graduated from the team, the playcalling position left a three-way race for the 2007 season. Bradford contested for the spot (and won at camp in fall) with true freshman Keith Nichol and junior Joey Halzle (who among the three was the only one who had thrown a college pass). Bradford made his debut against North Texas and played for just a little over two quarters before sitting out the rest of the lopsided 79-10 win over the Mean Green. During that game, Bradford completed 21 of 23 attempts for 363 yards and three touchdowns, while breaking the school record for passing yards in a half with 350. The following game, Bradford broke another passing record, this time it was Heisman Trophy winner Jason White's school-record for most consecutive pass completion which Bradford eclipsed at 22 (completions). Bradford went on to finish the game completing 19-of-25 passes for 205 yards and a school-record-tying 5 touchdown passes to lead Oklahoma to a 51-13 win over Miami (Fla.) and earn for himself his first recognition as a Sooner, the national offensive player of the week, given by the Walter Camp Foundation.
Against Utah State, Bradford had another efficient performance as he completed his first 11 passes before finishing the game on 19-of-26 passing for 255 yards and three TDs in a 54-3 win. He also threw his first career interception in that game. At Tulsa, he threw two of his three touchdown passes on long bombs to Juaquin Iglesias and finished the game completing 16-for-22 passes for 244 yards with a pick as the Sooners rolled to an easy 62-21 victory. At Colorado, he had his worst passing game of the season as he misfired on 11 of his 19 passes (42.1% completion) and was intercepted twice, with only 112 yards and a TD in a 24-27 loss to the Buffaloes. He did regain his sharpness the following week in time for the big game against Texas as he went 21-for-32 for 244 yards and three touchdowns without a pick in a 28-21 Sooner victory. After going 24-for-34 for 266 yards and 2 TDs without an interception for the second straight week in a 10-point win over Missouri, Bradford's name was added to the Maxwell Award watch list. At Iowa State, he did just enough to help OU escape Ames with a 17-7 win, after completing 16 of his 28 passes for 183 yards with 1 interception. A week later, his name was once again listed as a candidate for a national award, this time the Davey O'Brien Award. Against Texas A&M, he matched the school's, and his own single game record of five TD passes before finishing with 284 yards on 21-for-30 passing in the 42-14 victory over the Aggies. Against Baylor, he completed 80% of his passes (20-of-25) for 353 yards and three touchdowns with one interception as the Sooners cruised to a 52-21 win. In the Big 12 South showdown with Texas Tech, Bradford came out with an apparent concussion after their second possession of the game and never returned, leaving the game with a 2-of-3 completion for 11 yards in the 27-34 loss to the Red Raiders. He was eventually cleared to play the following week against Oklahoma State, where he threw only 15 passes, converting 11 for 150 yards and 4 TDs with 1 INT in a 32-point blow-out.
Prior to the Big 12 championship game, Bradford was named as an honorable mention All-Big 12 by the league coaches and was one of the 10 finalists for the 2007 Manning Award, presented annually to the nation's top college quarterback. In the league title match against Mizzou, he was 18-of-26 for 209 yards and 2 TDs, to improve to an NCAA freshman record of 34 touchdown passes for the season, in the Sooners' 38-17 victory over the Tigers. In his first bowl game appearance, he was 21-of-33 for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns with an interception as West Virginia dumped No.3 Oklahoma, 28-48 in the Fiesta Bowl. He finished the season by setting the NCAA freshman record at 36 TD passes, while leading the nation in pass efficiency rating at 176.53. He completed 237 of 341 passes that year for 3,121 yards with only 8 picks.
[edit] 2008
Bradford began his sophomore year as one of the players to watch for the season after being named as an early candidate for several awards, including the Davey O'Brien, Maxwell, and Walter Camp Awards. He was also voted as one of the team captains for the season. In the opener against Chattanooga, he completed 17 of 22 passes for 183 yards and 2 TDs as the Sooners tallied an easy 55-point victory. The following week against Cincinnati, he had a career-best 395 yards and five touchdowns on 29 of 38 completion with 2 interceptions in a 52-26 win. He was named as the O'Brien Quarterback of the Week for his performance against the Bearcats. At Washington, he completed a season high 85.7% of his passes (18-of-21) for 304 yards and five TDs for a season high 285.88 efficiency rating as OU drubbed U-Dub, 55-14. He also scored his first career rushing TD against the Huskies on a 1-yard run. Against No.23 TCU, he improved his career high to 411 passing yards on 19-of-34 passing with four touchdowns without an interception in a 35-10 victory. At Baylor, he led OU to a 32-point blow-out after going 23-for-31 for 372 yards and 2 TDs with an interception along with a scoring run. Against UT, the Longhorns won one back against the Sooners, 35-45, as Bradford had one of his two multiple interception games of the season. He finished that game completing 28-of-39 passes for 387 yards and 5 TDs with 2 picks. Prior to the Kansas game, he was named into the CBSSports.com mid-season All-America team along with teammate Duke Robinson.
Against Kansas, he torched the Jayhawk defense after setting the school record for passing yards in a game with 468, breaking Josh Heupel's record of 429 vs. Louisville in 1999 in OU's 45-31 victory. He also set personal bests in completions (36) and attempts (53) while throwing for 3 TDs against KU. Following that career game, he struggled a bit at Kansas State as he was limited to a season low 40.6% completion rate (13-of-32) although he did pass for 255 yards and three TDs and rushed for another score without an interception in the 23-point KSU massacre. Against Nebraska, he had his fourth 5-TD game of the season as he completed 19-of-27 passes for 311 yards with only an interception in the 62-28 triumph. Days later, he was named into the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VI Team for his 3.95 grade point average in Finance. At A&M, he was 22-of-33 for 320 yards and 4 TDs without an interception as the Sooners registered another blow-out win. Against No.2 Tech, Bradford did not outgun Graham Harrell but did more than enough---14-of-19 for 304 yards and 4 TDs with 0 INTs---as OU upset the Red Raiders, 65-21.
Before the Sooners ended the regular season at Oklahoma State, Bradford was named as a Big 12 Conference All-Academic First Team and an ESPN the Magazine second-team Academic All-American. He was also featured on the cover and inside the December issue of Sharing The Victory, the official magazine of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Against the Cowboys, Bradford once again came up with a nearly perfect showcase, completing 30-of-44 passes for 370 yards and 4 TDs in the 61-41 win. In the Big 12 Championship rematch, he went 34-of-49 for 384 yards and 2 TDs as OU bagged its third straight OU title. Bradford was named as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year while headlining the All-Big 12 First Team. He also added the Sammy Baugh Trophy, the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, the Chic Harley Award, and the Heisman Trophy to his stash during the postseason.
[edit] Career Stats
| Passing | ||||||||||
| Year | Cmp | Att | Yds | Cmp% | Ypa | Lng | TD | Int | Sack | Rat |
| 2007 | 237 | 341 | 3121 | 69.5 | 9.15 | 65 | 36 | 8 | 12 | 176.52 |
[edit] Highlights
| Post game interview with starting quarterback Sam Bradford after the Sooners blew out North Texas, 79-10. |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2008
- All-Big 12 First Team
- Big 12 Conference All-Academic First Team
- Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year
- CBSSports.com Midseason All-America Team
- CFN Midseason Second Team All-America Offense
- Davey O'Brien Award Watch List
- Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award
- ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VI Team
- ESPN the Magazine second-team Academic All-American
- Heisman Trophy
- MaxWell Award Watch List
- O'Brien Quarterback of the Week
- Phil Steele Second Team All-Big 12
- Sammy Baugh Trophy
- SI.com's Midseason All-American Second Team
- Touchdown Club of Columbus Chic Harley Award (College Football Player of the Year)
- Walter Camp All-American Second Team
- Walter Camp Award watch list
[edit] 2007
- Academic All-Big 12
- All-Big 12 honorable mention (coaches and AP)
- Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (9/10)
- CFN Big 12 Player of the Year
- CFN freshman All-American
- Davey O'Brien Award Semifinalist
- Manning Award finalist
- Maxwell Award Watch List
- Rivals freshman All-American
- Sports Illustrated All-America honorable mention
- The Sporting News All-Big 12 Freshman
- The Sporting News freshman All-American
- The Sporting News Freshman of the Year
- Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week (Week 2)
