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Stanford, Bradford grabbing attention
Michelle Smith, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, October 8, 2007
The morning after his back-pedaling, leaping catch in the end zone vaulted Stanford to its 24-23 victory over USC, a win that ranks among the biggest upsets in the history of the Pac-10 and perhaps all of college football, Mark Bradford was still the star of ESPN's "SportsCenter" highlights loop.
As of midafternoon, he hadn't seen it yet. Too much celebrating and too little sleep. On top of all that, Sunday was his 23rd birthday.
His gift - getting to be the toast of college football.
The Cardinal were greeted by what school officials estimate to be 2,000 students as their buses stopped in front of Maples Pavilion just after midnight Sunday.
The impromptu rally, which featured a speech by coach Jim Harbaugh and a disc jockey playing music until the wee hours, came after the bonfires and dorm-room parties that took place following Stanford's colossal upset over the then-No. 2 Trojans in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
"It's feels like a movie right now," Bradford said. "This really happened to us. I had no idea that people cared so much about the football team. I just felt the love from all the fans and everybody. It was a crazy scene."
Bradford admits all the jubilation leaves him feeling bittersweet. The Los Angeles native is only six days removed from his father's funeral. Mark Bradford Sr., 48, died of a heart attack two days after watching his son play against Oregon on Sept. 22. Bradford dedicated Saturday's game to his dad.
"I'm enjoying this as much as I can, but I know this is a game he would have been at," Bradford said. "He would have been there cheering and to celebrate it with me. But it's still a great feeling."
Bradford had his support from nearly 30 family members and friends who smothered him with congratulations as he boarded the team bus. The voice mail on his cell phone was full as well.
When Bradford entered the room at Stanford's Sunday afternoon news conference, he got a huge embrace from Harbaugh, who said "I know how much this meant to you."
Bradford had been away from his teammates most of the week following his father's passing, and for two days to start the week heading into the USC game, tending to family business and services.
"Right now, the guys on this team are my second family and it's more therapeutic for me to be around them," Bradford said.
Saturday night's win, in which Bradford finished with five of Stanford's 11 receptions, certainly helps the healing process.
Bradford said he felt his father was watching over him as he came down with the ball on the game-winning 10-yard catch. Bradford pointed to the sky after making the biggest play of his career.
His father used to tell him, "It's all about the catch."
"I just knew I had to go up there and get the ball," Bradford said.
Bradford's father was a big USC fan and hoped his son would play football for the Trojans. Bradford, who grew up in the neighborhood near the USC campus, thought that if he could get into Stanford, that was the direction he should go.
The story of Bradford's signing-day decision was its own drama. Bradford spent the day in the principal's office at Fremont High in Los Angeles waiting for word from Stanford on whether he'd be admitted and keeping USC waiting on his decision until he did. Stanford faxed the good news midafternoon.
Bradford hopes his Stanford degree - and perhaps even a shot at a pro career - will help him to support his family - specifically, his three sisters and two brothers. Bradford's mother passed away when he was a teenager.
"I know I have a lot of responsibility on me. I know I have to step up and make sure everybody's OK and be the head of the household now," Bradford said. "I need to make sure everybody's staying on track and staying together. That's my job now."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/08/SPL7SLTFP.DTL
Michelle Smith, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, October 8, 2007
The morning after his back-pedaling, leaping catch in the end zone vaulted Stanford to its 24-23 victory over USC, a win that ranks among the biggest upsets in the history of the Pac-10 and perhaps all of college football, Mark Bradford was still the star of ESPN's "SportsCenter" highlights loop.
As of midafternoon, he hadn't seen it yet. Too much celebrating and too little sleep. On top of all that, Sunday was his 23rd birthday.
His gift - getting to be the toast of college football.
The Cardinal were greeted by what school officials estimate to be 2,000 students as their buses stopped in front of Maples Pavilion just after midnight Sunday.
The impromptu rally, which featured a speech by coach Jim Harbaugh and a disc jockey playing music until the wee hours, came after the bonfires and dorm-room parties that took place following Stanford's colossal upset over the then-No. 2 Trojans in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
"It's feels like a movie right now," Bradford said. "This really happened to us. I had no idea that people cared so much about the football team. I just felt the love from all the fans and everybody. It was a crazy scene."
Bradford admits all the jubilation leaves him feeling bittersweet. The Los Angeles native is only six days removed from his father's funeral. Mark Bradford Sr., 48, died of a heart attack two days after watching his son play against Oregon on Sept. 22. Bradford dedicated Saturday's game to his dad.
"I'm enjoying this as much as I can, but I know this is a game he would have been at," Bradford said. "He would have been there cheering and to celebrate it with me. But it's still a great feeling."
Bradford had his support from nearly 30 family members and friends who smothered him with congratulations as he boarded the team bus. The voice mail on his cell phone was full as well.
When Bradford entered the room at Stanford's Sunday afternoon news conference, he got a huge embrace from Harbaugh, who said "I know how much this meant to you."
Bradford had been away from his teammates most of the week following his father's passing, and for two days to start the week heading into the USC game, tending to family business and services.
"Right now, the guys on this team are my second family and it's more therapeutic for me to be around them," Bradford said.
Saturday night's win, in which Bradford finished with five of Stanford's 11 receptions, certainly helps the healing process.
Bradford said he felt his father was watching over him as he came down with the ball on the game-winning 10-yard catch. Bradford pointed to the sky after making the biggest play of his career.
His father used to tell him, "It's all about the catch."
"I just knew I had to go up there and get the ball," Bradford said.
Bradford's father was a big USC fan and hoped his son would play football for the Trojans. Bradford, who grew up in the neighborhood near the USC campus, thought that if he could get into Stanford, that was the direction he should go.
The story of Bradford's signing-day decision was its own drama. Bradford spent the day in the principal's office at Fremont High in Los Angeles waiting for word from Stanford on whether he'd be admitted and keeping USC waiting on his decision until he did. Stanford faxed the good news midafternoon.
Bradford hopes his Stanford degree - and perhaps even a shot at a pro career - will help him to support his family - specifically, his three sisters and two brothers. Bradford's mother passed away when he was a teenager.
"I know I have a lot of responsibility on me. I know I have to step up and make sure everybody's OK and be the head of the household now," Bradford said. "I need to make sure everybody's staying on track and staying together. That's my job now."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/08/SPL7SLTFP.DTL
