Terry Bradshaw Reflects on Icy Relationship with Chuck Noll: ‘He Was Not a Nice Person’
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Terry Bradshaw Reflects on Icy Relationship with Chuck Noll: ‘He Was Not a Nice Person’
FILE - Fox commentator Terry Bradshaw is sen before the NFC Championship NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 30, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. On Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, Bradshaw said that he has been treated for two forms of cancer in the past year. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Chris Ward·Steelers Now
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3 min read
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FormerPittsburgh Steelersquarterback and Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw opened up on his strained relationship with Chuck Noll in a recent interview onTo The Point Home Service Podcast. To say the least, Bradshaw never saw eye to eye with Noll.
"I did not like my head coach at all, Chuck Noll. He was not a nice person. And he was mean to me," Bradshaw said. "In all my 14 years of playing for him, he never shook my hand one time, 'Nice job, Terry.' I was walking out, going onto the field to play the Cleveland Browns. And he stopped me and he said, 'You mess up out there today, and I'll bench your ass in the first half.'"
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All these years later, Bradshaw still holds a grudge against Noll, but he admitted that his no-nonsense approach made him a better player.
"I'm glad I played for him, cause I couldn't stand him, and I learned, I learned through the hurt and the pain of someone taking something from me that I absolutely love, which was quarterbacking the Steelers," Bradshaw said.
Former Steelers P.R. executive Joe Gordon told 93.7 The Fan that Bradshaw also made no contact with Noll's widow, Marianne.
"He's the most insincere person I've ever known,"Gordon told 93.7 The Fanin a quote that Gordon specifically asked Joe Starkey of 93.7 The Fan to use.
Terry Bradshaw, football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is shown, Jan. 20, 1980 in Pasadena, Calif., during the Super Bowl. (AP Photo)
Bradshaw performed his "America's Favorite Dumb Blonde" show at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino just outside of Pittsburgh a day after Noll passed away. The four-time Super Bowl champion expressed gratitude to his former head coach.
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"Before I go forward with the show, I wanted to let you know that I am well aware of the passing of Chuck Noll,"Bradshaw said. "I find it kind of odd I'm here on the day it was announced that he had passed. It's a strange evening.
"I want to show respect to one of the greatest coaches in the National Football League. I had my moments with him. God knows I did. He took me from a spoiled kid. He slapped me around a little bit. I hated him for it. The bottom line was we won Super Bowl championships.
"I don't have a coach anymore. I don't have my high school coach. I don't have my college coach. And now I don't have my NFL coach. It's kind of an empty feeling tonight. God bless Marianne, Chris and the Noll family. I am going to pay homage to my coach."
Bradshaw has been on record saying that he flat-out doesn't like attending funerals unless it's a family member. However, he does regret missing "The Chief" Art Rooney's funeral in 1988.
Bradshaw said he doesn't regret missing Dan Rooney's funeral because he wasn't as close with him as "The Chief" and he never had a solid relationship with Chuck Noll.
"I wasn't ever going to Chuck Noll's funeral," Bradshaw said.
