All Those Great SMU Photographs - Thanks, Mr. Bradley!
Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 1:44 amby Brent Flynn, Special Contributor to the DMN
Anyone who's spent time in the Park Cities has seen the posters in shop windows of Highland Park High School athletes, cheerleaders and drill team members.
Included in his portfolio is a who's who of sports icons from the late 1940s through the 1980s. From SMU running back Doak Walker in 1948 to a young Michael Jordan in a North Carolina jersey in 1982, Mr. Bradley's archive is a photographic treasure trove.
"It was just absolutely an experience you cannot buy to be in an athletic environment the way that we were," he said. "It was something, because of our job, that gave us an opportunity to be close to the players, and friendships were formed."
Mr. Bradley's photography career began in 1947 when his father-in-law, Jim Laughead, got the photo contract for the Southern Methodist University yearbook. The next year, Mr. Walker led the Mustangs to the first of two consecutive Southwest Conference championships and was awarded the Heisman Trophy.
Mr. Bradley, 82, was there for it all.
"Kind of the beginning for us was Doak Walker. He was a marvelous football player," Mr. Bradley said. "Mainly the stuff we did was program pics and stock action photographs."
Soon he was doing similar work for other teams in the Southwest Conference. He began shooting Louisiana State University, his first out-of-state team, in 1952. Other universities in the Southeastern Conference followed as well as Duke, Notre Dame and others.
When Lamar Hunt formed the Dallas Texans in 1960, Mr. Bradley made his first foray into professional sports. He and his wife, Betty, began traveling with the team, which was coached by Hank Stram.
"He [Mr. Stram] insisted that we have Polaroid photos of the offensive and defensive formations," Mr. Bradley recalled. "He kind of pioneered the system with Sid Gillman when he was with the L.A. Rams."
Mr. Bradley's studio had a near monopoly on this type of work at the time. He got to shoot the other professional football team in Dallas that also was founded that year – the Cowboys.
"Tom Landry was a tremendous person who always seemed to have his priorities straight and always seemed to have as much influence on people and his surroundings as anyone I've ever known," Mr. Bradley said. "He went out of his way to be considerate and kind to all.
"Of course, he could be tough, too, as you know."
By 1961, Mr. Bradley was shooting photos of the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Colts and the Chicago Bears. Legends such as Vince Lombardi, Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr, Mike Ditka and [deleted] Butkus were among those he captured on film.
Mr. Bradley said it's almost impossible for him to watch a college or professional football or basketball game without seeing someone he's photographed.
While watching the Baylor University women's basketball team win the national championship last month, he was reminded of coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson's freshman year at Louisiana Tech University.
"That was the first ladies basketball team I shot," he said. "It was such an exciting time to me to see her enthusiasm. She was just a bundle of fire. You could still see the fire in her at the national championships."
Mr. Bradley still does work for SMU, shooting photos for the football program, Athletic Forum and the Tate Lecture Series. He was back at work in the Cotton Bowl last week for the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame induction.
Despite his brushes with fame over the years, Mr. Bradley says he still gets a kick out of shooting up-and-coming sports stars.
"We were privileged to be around those great names of basketball and football," he said. "But I get a great pleasure out of seeing the accomplishments of the Highland Park football team right now."
Anyone who's spent time in the Park Cities has seen the posters in shop windows of Highland Park High School athletes, cheerleaders and drill team members.
Included in his portfolio is a who's who of sports icons from the late 1940s through the 1980s. From SMU running back Doak Walker in 1948 to a young Michael Jordan in a North Carolina jersey in 1982, Mr. Bradley's archive is a photographic treasure trove.
"It was just absolutely an experience you cannot buy to be in an athletic environment the way that we were," he said. "It was something, because of our job, that gave us an opportunity to be close to the players, and friendships were formed."
Mr. Bradley's photography career began in 1947 when his father-in-law, Jim Laughead, got the photo contract for the Southern Methodist University yearbook. The next year, Mr. Walker led the Mustangs to the first of two consecutive Southwest Conference championships and was awarded the Heisman Trophy.
Mr. Bradley, 82, was there for it all.
"Kind of the beginning for us was Doak Walker. He was a marvelous football player," Mr. Bradley said. "Mainly the stuff we did was program pics and stock action photographs."
Soon he was doing similar work for other teams in the Southwest Conference. He began shooting Louisiana State University, his first out-of-state team, in 1952. Other universities in the Southeastern Conference followed as well as Duke, Notre Dame and others.
When Lamar Hunt formed the Dallas Texans in 1960, Mr. Bradley made his first foray into professional sports. He and his wife, Betty, began traveling with the team, which was coached by Hank Stram.
"He [Mr. Stram] insisted that we have Polaroid photos of the offensive and defensive formations," Mr. Bradley recalled. "He kind of pioneered the system with Sid Gillman when he was with the L.A. Rams."
Mr. Bradley's studio had a near monopoly on this type of work at the time. He got to shoot the other professional football team in Dallas that also was founded that year – the Cowboys.
"Tom Landry was a tremendous person who always seemed to have his priorities straight and always seemed to have as much influence on people and his surroundings as anyone I've ever known," Mr. Bradley said. "He went out of his way to be considerate and kind to all.
"Of course, he could be tough, too, as you know."
By 1961, Mr. Bradley was shooting photos of the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Colts and the Chicago Bears. Legends such as Vince Lombardi, Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr, Mike Ditka and [deleted] Butkus were among those he captured on film.
Mr. Bradley said it's almost impossible for him to watch a college or professional football or basketball game without seeing someone he's photographed.
While watching the Baylor University women's basketball team win the national championship last month, he was reminded of coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson's freshman year at Louisiana Tech University.
"That was the first ladies basketball team I shot," he said. "It was such an exciting time to me to see her enthusiasm. She was just a bundle of fire. You could still see the fire in her at the national championships."
Mr. Bradley still does work for SMU, shooting photos for the football program, Athletic Forum and the Tate Lecture Series. He was back at work in the Cotton Bowl last week for the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame induction.
Despite his brushes with fame over the years, Mr. Bradley says he still gets a kick out of shooting up-and-coming sports stars.
"We were privileged to be around those great names of basketball and football," he said. "But I get a great pleasure out of seeing the accomplishments of the Highland Park football team right now."
