Event Tickets
NOC Renfro Lectureship Program featuring Terry Bradshaw on October 9, 2025
Terry Bradshaw entertains crowd at NOC Tonkawa lectureship
The event was sponsored by the Renfro Endowed Lectureship Series.
Bradshaw told a number of humorous stories from his Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Steelers mixed in with a number of life changing observations.
Bradshaw said he spent his entire career fighting a label that started when he was in college.
鈥淲hen I came out of Louisiana Tech, people said I was too dumb to be an NFL quarterback, not smart enough to play quarterback,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut you know, I called my own plays, did it my entire career.鈥
鈥淣ow, they have radios in their helmets and quarterbacks look at their wrists with like 50 play cards,鈥 he joked while holding up and acting like he was reading his wrist.
鈥淵et I won four Super Bowls,鈥 he said while holding four fingers in the air.
鈥淓ven a dumb guy can win,鈥 he said sarcastically.
On a more serious note, Bradshaw said when he called plays in the huddle for the Steelers, he always knelt down.
鈥淏eing the quarterback, I was the unquestioned leader of the offense,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut I always knelt down in the huddle because I was giving them (the other offensive players) the power. I wanted to empower my teammates and that鈥檚 how you do it. Give them the opportunity and responsibility to do the job. That equates to business and life in general. People in leadership positions should give others the power to get the job done. It鈥檚 never just one person. There may be a leader but the leader is only as good as the people around them.鈥
Bradshaw told stories about each member of the Steeler鈥檚 offense during his playing days including fellow Hall of Famers Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, and Mike Webster.
鈥淚 was so fortunate to play with great players that made my job easier,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 hard because you deal with a lot of egos. Swann and (John) Stallworth (Pittsburgh receivers) were always open,鈥 he quipped. 鈥淥r at least they thought they were.鈥
鈥淏uild relationships with people if you want to make something great,鈥 he pointed out. 鈥淚 was so fortunate to have those relationships with my teammates. It won鈥檛 be easy and there will be problems and issues to work out along the way but if you build relationships with people, they will always be there in the end.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 always about people.鈥 he said.
At 77, Bradshaw stays busy with broadcasting, horses, speaking engagements and just living life.
鈥淚鈥檝e been so blessed,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always stayed busy, in fact, I鈥檝e been busier since I stopped playing in the NFL. I鈥檝e got too much to do to just sit around. Life is a journey to be enjoyed, to be embraced.鈥
鈥淲hen you lay your head down at night, think about your day and how you鈥檝e impacted people,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hink about how you鈥檝e influenced someone鈥檚 life. That鈥檚 where it鈥檚 at, that鈥檚 what matters. Tell the people you鈥檙e close to you love them.鈥
At the conclusion of the event, NOC President Diana Morris presented Bradshaw with a Standing Bear Statue and a children鈥檚 book as a gift from NOC.
The first NFL player with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Bradshaw has accomplished many things outside of athletics. He is a popular actor, most recently in the box office smash comedy romance Failure to Launch. He is also a gospel/country singer, motivational speaker, New York Times best-selling author, and breeder of championship quarter horses.
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Carl and Carolyn Renfro Endowed Lectureship Program
Former Oklahoma State Regent Carl Renfro and the late Carolyn Renfro established the Carl and Carolyn Renfro Endowed Lectureship Program with a gift in 2006. The primary purpose of the endowment is to provide support to cultivate and enhance the cultural and community enrichment offerings in northern Oklahoma to include lecture and performance series at 91成人 Tonkawa and in the Ponca City area.