Bradford's mind on title, not trophy
Gerald McCoy attended a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting with Oklahoma teammate Sam Bradford recently, when an interesting question came up.
"They asked Sam, 'Would you rather win the Heisman or a national championship?'"
McCoy said. "There was no hesitation. 'National championship.'"
"Sam's a team player. The Heisman means nothing to him."
The same can't be said for Bradford's teammates.
"I love Sam,"
McCoy said. "I would love for Sam to win the Heisman. That's a great honor. That's just not something everybody gets."
"Sam's been a leader on this team since last year. He's been the leader since last year. If he's blessed enough to win the Heisman, yes, I would be extremely happy."
College football's ultimate individual award is actually a product of teamwork. In the case of a quarterback like Bradford, it takes a line to protect him.
"We do take pride in how well Sam does,"
center Jon Cooper said.
It takes receivers to catch his passes.
"As a teammate and friend, I would like to see Sam win the Heisman,"
said wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias. "It's important for me."
It takes a defense to get him back on the
field.
"We all want to see Sam be successful,"
said linebacker Travis Lewis, "mainly because he's not looking for any individual awards. All the awards aside, he just wants to win."
That's what endears Bradford to the Sooners more than any statistic he puts up, how ordinary he yearns to be despite his extraordinary circumstances.
As Cooper put it: "No matter what happens, he's a really humble guy. He's not walking around like he's number one, two or three in the Heisman. He blends in on this campus. You'd notice guys like Phil (Loadholt) and Duke (Robinson) before you notice Sam. He has flip flops and a little Polo hat on and his little golf shorts. He looks like a regular frat guy around here."
The way the Sooners see it, if the frat guy keeps throwing and the team keeps winning, the Heisman will take care of itself.
"I was watching a game the other night, and they were showing the top five Heisman candidates. I was like, 'Sam could go to New York this year. He could truly go to New York,'"
said wide receiver Manuel Johnson. "I'd be happy for him to get it. It's a reflection on the whole team."
"If he's there, that means the team did great."
