Memo to Bryant Gumble‘s unmentionables: prepare to got all wadded up. Again.
Already this year, statues honoring Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Florida’s three Heisman winners -- Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow -- have been unveiled. Additionally, plans are in the works for statues honoring Auburn’s Heisman winners -- yes, including Cam Newton.
Now, Sam Bradford is amongst the living former collegiate stars whose likenesses have been immortalized in bronze.
At a fundraising banquet Saturday night, Oklahoma officially unveiled the 10-foot tall “Heisman Trophy Statue” honoring the former Sooners and current St. Louis Rams quarterback. The statue will be dedicated before a game this upcoming season and will be placed alongside the four other statues honoring Heisman winners from OU -- Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Jason White -- in the school’s Heisman Park outside of Memorial Stadium.
Bradford, who won the Heisman as a redshirt sophomore in 2008 and will be entering his second season in the NFL after being the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010 draft, seemed to be overwhelmed at being honored at such a young age.
“I never thought I’d be standing here giving a speech in front of a statue of myself,” Bradford said according to John Hoover of Tulsa World. “Pretty cool, though.”
Playing the role of proud papa, Bradford’s father reminisced about watching his son grow in the past few years from scout player to Heisman winner to rookie of the year in the big boy football league.
“It’s just been a lot of fun,” Kent Bradford said. “All of it. Just to get to watch him get to go to OU and follow his dream and do what he wanted, to watch him go from OU Scout Team Player of the Year to NFL Rookie of the Year, and a whole bunch of fun stuff in between. It’s been a lot of fun.”
With all of that out of the way, the stage is all yours Mr. Gumbel. Whine away...