The Friars Club announced last week that comedian and actor Joel McHale will serve as the host of the Friars Club ESPN Sports Roast of Hall of Famer, NFL quarterback and FOX NFL SUNDAY commentator, Terry Bradshaw.
Frank Caliendo, Howie Long, Lisa Lampanelli, Jim Norton, Jeff Ross, Erin Andrews are just a few of the celebrities who will help McHale give the sports legend the full Friars comedy treatment at the Friars Club Roast on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at a luncheon at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, in Phoenix, AZ. Taped excerpts from the event, which will take place during the week of the Super Bowl, will premiere on ESPN2 in an hour-long special before the Super Bowl, on Friday, January 30th from 8p-9p ET.
One of the most prolific quarterbacks in history, leading the Steelers to an unprecedented four Super Bowl championships, Bradshaw has seen football from inside the game to analyzing and commentating them – more fodder for the Friars comedians and his peers to use against him as they turn their Roasting spits of wit.
“What can these guys possibly say to me that isn’t being said daily on social media? Heck… I may even leave here uplifted,” says Bradshaw.
“Last year, I entertained the President of the United States at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. This year, I am roasting a retired quarterback and sports broadcaster so to say that this is a lateral move would be stretching it to a point of absurdity,” McHale said of his hosting duties.
Bradshaw joins the ranks of recent honorees Jack Black, Quentin Tarantino, Betty White and fellow NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Gift of Laughter Wounded Warrior Program, a project of the Friars Foundation that provides uplifting entertainment to enhance and increase the wellbeing and positive attitude of troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan who are currently in military hospitals throughout the United States and in Europe.
Redd’s Wicked Ale will be the Title Sponsor of the Roast and Broadcast. Redd’s has been a friend of the Friars having sponsored previous Friars Roasts including Boomer Esiason and Jack Black. MillerCoors is a major sponsor of the Friars Roast of Terry Bradshaw on ESPN.
Terry Bradshaw was the first player chosen in the 1970 draft and became one of the most prolific quarterbacks in history, leading the Steelers to an unprecedented four Super Bowl championships–a feat that has only been duplicated once since. He also helped lead his team to six AFC championship games and eight straight playoff appearances from 1972 to 1979. Bradshaw, a two-time Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XIII and XIV, was also a four-time All-Pro. He retired just prior to the 1984 season due to an elbow injury.
Bradshaw joined CBS Sports as an NFL game analyst in 1984 and then became a studio analyst on The NFL Today for four seasons beginning in 1990. He appeared as a contributor on the Super Bowl Today programs for Super Bowls XVI, XXIV and XXVI. Bradshaw has been with FOX NFL SUNDAY since its inception in 1994.
Over the span of his career, Bradshaw has been honored with multiple titles and awards. The Associated Press, Sport magazine and the Maxwell Club of Philadelphia named him NFL Player of the Year in 1978. In 1979, he shared Sports Illustrated’s Man of the Year award with Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1989, Bradshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He was named 1999’s Man of the Year by the Big Sisters of America and 2000’s Father of the Year by the National Father’s Day Council. In April 2001, Bradshaw was presented with the NFL Alumni’s Career Achievement Award. In 2002, he became the NFL’s first player to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bradshaw is also an Emmy award-winner with eight nominations for Outstanding Sports Personality and three wins in 2000, 2002 and 2009.
Bradshaw has written five books and became a New York Times best-selling author with his acclaimed autobiography, It’s Only a Game in 2001. His other autobiographies include: Keep it Simple, Looking Deep, Terry Bradshaw: Man of Steel and No Easy Game.
Terry now adds starring in his own show to his already impressive resume. Bradshaw is currently touring the country with his show, “Terry Bradshaw: America’s Favorite Dumb Blonde… A Life in Four Quarters.” Bradshaw entertains audiences with a memorable night of singing, dancing and comedic storytelling.
