At this year's Fire-Rescue International, NFL hall-of-famer Terry Bradshaw, former quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, will speak at the Aug. 12 general session. In his 14-year NFL career, he won four Super Bowl titles. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Since retiring, Bradshaw he has been a football analyst on television, which has earned him two Emmys. He also wrote It's Only a Game and Keep It Simple, both of which appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers List.

After his NFL career ended, Bradshaw disclosed that he had frequently experienced anxiety attacks after games. The problem worsened in the late 1990s after his third divorce, when, he said, he “could not bounce back” as he had after the previous divorces or after a bad game. In addition to anxiety attacks, his symptoms included weight loss, frequent crying and sleeplessness. He was diagnosed with clinical depression. He chose to speak out about his depression to overcome the stigma associated with it and to urge others to seek help.

You are one of the most sought-after motivational speakers. How did you go from quarterback to speaker? What's your message going to be to the fire chiefs?

When I first started speaking 19 years ago, I felt unprepared, intimidated to do a message on what they were meeting about, whether it was a sales meeting or annual awards, or a casual meeting. I tried to figure out how I could best make me feel comfortable going from IBM to cornflakes to horse feed companies. It came to me that all of these people are people. And the CEO's got a wife and may have some problems, the kids aren't perfect and the baby keeps them up and they're trying to pay the mortgage or working on their faith issues or somebody dying in the family, but they are human beings. Just people like me but more important in their areas. I'm an expert in football. As long as we relate as people and your message is delivered to them as a human being, you can't go wrong.

So that's what I did. I took the analogies of football, cause that's what people know me for, I'm not someone that says “I'm Terry Bradshaw, I'm a motivational speaker, please don't associate me with football or television — baloney! I'm proud of that and that's what people know. That's my calling card. I take the individuals and personalize them in a human way and tie it in with their company, in a very simple way. I'd be very stupid if I tried to get up there and talk about “firemen,” because the first time smoke hits, I'm out the house.

A fire chief and a quarterback have a lot in common.

Yep, he runs the show and he calls the shots.

You've teamed up with the American Psychiatric Foundation and have had a lot of activities with them. How did you get involved with them?

Well, I'm clinically depressed and I'm an ADHD child. So mentally I'm pretty screwed up. I came out publicly, but companies don't want to bring that up. You can have cancer, or you could have raped someone and got out of prison, but if you're mentally depressed, then people have a hard time dealing with it and they don't want to hear about it, so I never bring it up. I only bring if up if I'm asked. Today it's all about my depression and ADHD and that's how it got started. I've been traveling for three years on mental health.

Was it difficult for you to wrap your mind around having depression?

Yeah, it was at first, it really was, because I understand the stigma. I have enough stigmas, so I didn't feel like I needed any more and the public didn't need to know that Bradshaw's got some more problems…. I don't mean to make fun, but I find humor a great source of relief and a source of healing from the junk we go through every day. I felt at first it was a little embarrassing, like a lot of people, because my knowledge of depression and its effects on people — not the people who have it, but what they think of people who have it — were a little bit suspect, and I didn't want people thinking anymore or any less because of my illness.

My initial reaction to it was that I rejected the offer [from the American Psychiatric Foundation], and then I got to thinking about it. Who is more open on television than me? Who talks about his ex-wife? Me! Who talks about his failed date or poor IQ scores? I do! Who's called dumb his whole career? Did I make it and get through it and handle it better than anybody? Me! So I said what do I possibly care? Maybe I can help some big old macho guys, plus it was flattering to find out that some of the geniuses of the world were clinically depressed, so I put myself in that category.

Since the bombing of the Murrah building in Oklahoma and Sept. 11, depression has become a critical, serious problem within the fire service. I've heard of eight firefighters who have committed suicide in the past two years. It's an increasing problem. There needs to be an awareness within the fire service. Are going to take that one on?

I know I have made a difference. I get letters and phone calls to support that and that's why I did it, but you have your detractors too. You never get 100%; 50% of the people are going to be receptive and 50% aren't. When [my depression] first came out, a lot of companies shied away. I do about 29 to 30 speeches a year and at first it was printed, “Please don't bring up your mental disease.” In the last year or so, it's not even mentioned anymore. I don't bring it up unless asked. I'm supposed to jack these guys up and have some fun, and that's what I do when I speak.

I have some specific questions: Most memorable game you participated in?

Man, I've had a lot of those. Well, the greatest moment in my career was Super Bowl IX because it was our first world title and we got the great owner of the Steelers his first championship. So, Super Bowl IX against the Vikings.

Last book you read?

The last book I read? That's easy! This Man Called Jesus. I'm reading a book now — an awesome book my preacher gave me — called Life Wide Open by David Jeremiah. I read a lot of psychology books, a lot of New Testament and I study the New Testament. I'm just now moved into the Old Testament because the Old Testament is definitely interesting. The primary book I read all the time is the Bible, but the last book, the book I'm on right now, Life Wide Open, is really good. I like these kinds of books.

Have you always had such a strong faith?

Well, I became a Christian six years ago. You ain't gonna believe this — I preached three weeks ago! I've never been so nervous in my life! But I preached to a bunch of cowboys in Pilot Point, Texas — 285 people showed up! Unbelievable!

It's sort of a fuzzy line between motivational speaking and preaching.

Oh, sure it is. You're just trying to create your theme, you support your theme and then you close the message — you seal the deal. It's a lot of that. You know Pentecostals or Assembly of Gods are really vocal in church. I'm Baptist, so I'm used to this, but not quite. This guy [in the audience] kept yelling “Preach on, brother!” Finally it just got me and I stopped. I told this guy, “Listen, you're throwing me off.” It was too funny!

It was a great night, two people got saved, four more came down, and it looks like they're really struggling in their lives. I got some friends that came because they were curious about this new me. You know, it's nice to love and hug on people, but they're uncomfortable around me because they knew what I was like and what I'm like now. You know, it's cool, God really blesses. It was by far, the most rewarding speech I've ever given. I mean, I got into it, too, as well you would imagine.

You just keep discovering you have new talents.

I don't know if that was a talent, but I certainly found out how courageous I am.

Who do you look to as your mentor?

I don't have a mentor. I don't think you can have just one person. I look back and I could say my father and list all the wonderful characteristics of my dad. Was he perfect? No, but some of the things he lacked, somebody else had. I picked up some from Lee Hedges, who was my head football coach. I picked up a great deal from my grandfather and of course my dad. We always are a mirror image of our parents and our upbringing.

And I would not hesitate to tell you how much I've learned from women in my life. So from both genders, I've had a great schooling on people. And then I've made my choices like all of us do. We gather and gather and then as we mature and get older, we decide this or that. I had a grandfather who was an alcoholic, so alcohol scares me. I have an uncle — and my grandfather — got married and divorced, married and divorced, married and divorced. What did I do? Married-divorced. Married-divorced. Married-divorced. A lot of alcohol on my grandmother's side, so we've had our problems in our family.

I have great psychologist who got me through the depression thing and my last divorce, when I thought my whole world had come to an end and I just couldn't deal with it, so I learned so much about myself from him and still do.

I've acquired all these things in my life, but it all starts at the beginning, with our parents, but we say that out of respect. There are many people that touch and have an impact on us, and we pattern ourselves after them in some way. We like “this” about them and apply that to our lives, and I think that's a smart person.

What's your favorite way to deal with stress?

Fish. I like to fish. I love to work out. I got operated on my back three years ago so I can't do what I used to do. I used to go for a 6- or 8-mile run. Can't do that anymore, but I walk. I'll walk on my ranch. Primarily I'll do Stairmaster for 45 minutes, treadmill for about an hour, then I'll lift weights and then I do crunches and after 2H hours, I'm beaten up pretty good. I'm pretty tired. Used to drink beer, vodka, like everybody else. “I'm stressed, I'm depressed. Drink!” Like “Boy, I need a drink.” Well, … diet, coffee and water, here I am.

Favorite music?

Well my favorite music is gospel. The Bill Gaither Gospel Series they've been doing with all the old-timers for the past five or six years. In fact I just got my mother four of those on VHS. I especially like those.

I'm a huge Alan Jackson fan. I'm not a country music fan like I used to be. I don't like the artists anymore. It's all crossover and I'm a traditionalist, I'm not into the Toby Keiths of the world or a lot of these longhair goofy bands; I'm not into that.

Are you planning another book soon?

No. Actually, I was thinking about doing a book on depression, but the work far exceeded the reward financially, so I'm not going to do that, it's too much work. I don't have much time. I'm with Fox [roadcasting Co.] for 5H months a year, the motivational speaking, then I have a building business and an aviation business and a horse business. If I can get a day or two days off, I'm thrilled.

So to go and do this book and promote it all around the country for nothing …; I would write the book as long as I didn't have to promote the book. It wouldn't be about the money, it would be about the book. I did two promotional tours, but you do 18 to 20 cities — forget it! I can't do that anymore.

What's your plan for the chiefs as the keynote speaker at Fire-Rescue International?

I hate boring speeches, and they hate 'em! I try to come in a hundred miles an hour and have a great time with these guys and give them some kind of message that'll make 'em feel good, and then I leave. That's my job!