Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo Credit: National Football Foundation/Melissa Macatee
Lundblade Speaks at National Football Foundation Press Conference
December 05, 2017 | Cowboy Football
NEW YORK - Oklahoma State center Brad Lundblade, one of 13 national finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, made his appearance at the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner press conference Tuesday morning as he spoke to a room full of national media about his honor as part of the 2017 NFF Scholar-Athlete Class.
Lundblade will be honored in New York City at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner Tuesday, where the winner of the Campbell Trophy will also be announced. The event will be streamed live on ESPN3 beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT. The transcript of Lundblade's portion of the press conference:
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HOLLY ROWE: From Oklahoma State, center Brad Lundblade holds a 3.88 GPA in marketing. He's a First-Team Academic All-American and an anchor for one of the nation's most dynamic offenses. I have a quick story about Brad. We were covering your game at West Virginia. You had been out for two games with an injury. And they had not been able to move the ball, and the offense was stalling. And Brad played in that game. And I thought you made the difference in that game. And we give a "Big Boy Pants" index award. And they were talking about maybe giving it to Mason Rudolph and I protested. And I was like, "Absolutely not. Brad Lundblade is getting that award" because your impact in that game was so crucial. What is it like for you to know that you control so much in that high-powered offense that everybody associates with the passing but it really starts with you?
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BRAD LUNDBLADE: Well, first off, thank you for the Big Boy Pants Award. (Laughter.) I think it's a good feeling knowing that you make an impact. Obviously, our offense, we have so many weapons. And it makes my job easy because I know that if I do my job, guys likes Mason Rudolph, James Washington, Justice Hill, all the guys we have on our team, I know those guys will make plays if I'm able to do my job. It makes me feel good knowing that I make a difference. But, really, it's not too hard when you have guys like that.
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HOLLY ROWE: I think you're in a really special position because you walked on. You were not a scholarship player. You were not someone highly recruited or highly touted. How did you go from that and being a walk-on to being the impact player you are?
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BRAD LUNDBLADE: It was a lot of work. I actually had 11 Division I scholarship offers coming out of high school. But I decided to walk on because Oklahoma State was my dream school and I really wanted to play there. It's been a great journey. It took a lot of hard work. Coming in as a walk-on, you kind of start out at the bottom. It was definitely a process, climbed my way up. But I had some great guys ahead of me, some great seniors when I first came in who kind of showed me the ropes and helped me grow into that position. And it has been a great ride, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
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HOLLY ROWE: What do you want to do moving forward in the future?
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BRAD LUNDBLADE: I want to do a Pro Day in the spring. I want to give the NFL a shot. And if that doesn't work out, then I'm exploring my options in business right now. I don't have it completely figured out, but I definitely want to explore my options in the business world.
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HOLLY ROWE: Perfect. Well, he's someone I would hire in a heartbeat.
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CHANDON SULLIVAN (Georgia State Defensive Back): … Speaking to Brad right here, I just want to ask a question. You talked about being a walk-on. What inspired you to -- even though it's a process, what inspired you to keep going? I noticed I'm student-athlete, too, and there's many challenges. What inspired you? What was your -- my coach calls it what is your "why"? What kept inspired you to keep going?
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BRAD LUNDBLADE: As a walk-on, I think one of the things that has to drive you is just a love for football. You're not on scholarship. You weren't recruited. And, like I said, you kind of start out at the bottom. Starting out as a walk-on, it's really just that fuel of loving football that drives you. And a lot of times I started out on scout teams. So for me those days are hard because you're not playing. You're just giving -- you're giving the starters looks. And you're not getting playing time on game day. So I would say just a love for the game is important for walk-ons because those days are hard. And there's a lot of days where you work and you grind on scout team and it's not easy. But just a love for the game and love for teammates I'd say is the thing that always fueled me.
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Lundblade will be honored in New York City at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner Tuesday, where the winner of the Campbell Trophy will also be announced. The event will be streamed live on ESPN3 beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT. The transcript of Lundblade's portion of the press conference:
Â
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HOLLY ROWE: From Oklahoma State, center Brad Lundblade holds a 3.88 GPA in marketing. He's a First-Team Academic All-American and an anchor for one of the nation's most dynamic offenses. I have a quick story about Brad. We were covering your game at West Virginia. You had been out for two games with an injury. And they had not been able to move the ball, and the offense was stalling. And Brad played in that game. And I thought you made the difference in that game. And we give a "Big Boy Pants" index award. And they were talking about maybe giving it to Mason Rudolph and I protested. And I was like, "Absolutely not. Brad Lundblade is getting that award" because your impact in that game was so crucial. What is it like for you to know that you control so much in that high-powered offense that everybody associates with the passing but it really starts with you?
Â
BRAD LUNDBLADE: Well, first off, thank you for the Big Boy Pants Award. (Laughter.) I think it's a good feeling knowing that you make an impact. Obviously, our offense, we have so many weapons. And it makes my job easy because I know that if I do my job, guys likes Mason Rudolph, James Washington, Justice Hill, all the guys we have on our team, I know those guys will make plays if I'm able to do my job. It makes me feel good knowing that I make a difference. But, really, it's not too hard when you have guys like that.
Â
HOLLY ROWE: I think you're in a really special position because you walked on. You were not a scholarship player. You were not someone highly recruited or highly touted. How did you go from that and being a walk-on to being the impact player you are?
Â
BRAD LUNDBLADE: It was a lot of work. I actually had 11 Division I scholarship offers coming out of high school. But I decided to walk on because Oklahoma State was my dream school and I really wanted to play there. It's been a great journey. It took a lot of hard work. Coming in as a walk-on, you kind of start out at the bottom. It was definitely a process, climbed my way up. But I had some great guys ahead of me, some great seniors when I first came in who kind of showed me the ropes and helped me grow into that position. And it has been a great ride, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Â
HOLLY ROWE: What do you want to do moving forward in the future?
Â
BRAD LUNDBLADE: I want to do a Pro Day in the spring. I want to give the NFL a shot. And if that doesn't work out, then I'm exploring my options in business right now. I don't have it completely figured out, but I definitely want to explore my options in the business world.
Â
HOLLY ROWE: Perfect. Well, he's someone I would hire in a heartbeat.
Â
…
Â
CHANDON SULLIVAN (Georgia State Defensive Back): … Speaking to Brad right here, I just want to ask a question. You talked about being a walk-on. What inspired you to -- even though it's a process, what inspired you to keep going? I noticed I'm student-athlete, too, and there's many challenges. What inspired you? What was your -- my coach calls it what is your "why"? What kept inspired you to keep going?
Â
BRAD LUNDBLADE: As a walk-on, I think one of the things that has to drive you is just a love for football. You're not on scholarship. You weren't recruited. And, like I said, you kind of start out at the bottom. Starting out as a walk-on, it's really just that fuel of loving football that drives you. And a lot of times I started out on scout teams. So for me those days are hard because you're not playing. You're just giving -- you're giving the starters looks. And you're not getting playing time on game day. So I would say just a love for the game is important for walk-ons because those days are hard. And there's a lot of days where you work and you grind on scout team and it's not easy. But just a love for the game and love for teammates I'd say is the thing that always fueled me.
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