38 Years Ago, Steelers' Terry Bradshaw Went By the Name 'Tom Brady'

It's hard to say anyone thought "Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Tom Brady" would be relevant 38 years later.

PITTSBURGH -- 38 years ago, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw created a headline he would've never believed to be as shocking (and funny) as it is today. 

"Steelers' 'Tom Brady' Undergoes Elbow Surgery," read across the March 3, 1983 publication of United Press International. Fans were likely just as confused then as they are now, wondering when Pittsburgh added this Tom Brady guy. 

It wasn't the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback checking into the Shreveport, Louisiana hospital to address a lingering elbow problem, but rather Pittsburgh's Hall of Famer. 

On this date in 1983, the winningest quarterback in Super Bowl history checked into a Louisiana hospital using an assumed name. pic.twitter.com/Yr3ujc0fHC

— Quirky Research (@QuirkyResearch) March 3, 2021

"Many times, we have to admit people under an assumed name or under no name to keep the press and the fans away," Doctor's Hospital administrator, Charles Boyd, said at the time. 

Bradshaw had a small muscle tear repaired by Dr. William Burdick. The tear was described as tennis elbow that a Steelers spokesperson then described as a "relatively minor thing caused by wear and tear."

After aggravating the elbow during mini camp, though, the injury turned somewhat serious and kept Bradshaw sidelined until Week 15.

Bradshaw was called a "super patient" by Dr. Burdick, who recalled the quarterback making morning rounds throughout the hospital to spend time with ill children. 

Little did anyone know the quarterback of one Hall of Fame quarterback would check-in under a name that'll join him in Canton one day. 

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.