The James T. Bradley and Don Meredith exhibit honors a photographer and a former football player. (U-Edit Video)
Fresh faces are soon to be seen around school as the fall semester starts up. But these students aren’t the only new addition to campus.
Over the summer, a new exhibit honoring James T. Bradley and Don Meredith was revealed at a small ceremony in Heritage Hall.
James T. Bradley, otherwise known as Brad Bradley, started taking pictures of SMU athletes in 1947, the year that Doak Walker came to campus.
Bradley and his father, a former Associated Press photographer, did all of the headshots for the athletes and the Rotunda yearbook. They later invented the first action shot for sports.
“We tried to simulate action that the players did in the game,” Brad Bradley said.
They became known for a pose called the “Ol’ Huck ‘n’ Buck” in which the player acts like he is carrying the ball down the field.
Not only were the pictures more interesting than a simple headshot, they were actually used in the recruiting process as well.
Bradley photographed Walker in his prime, but the two also became close friends.
“He seemed like the All-American kid. He was such a humble guy,” Bradley’s son, Jimmy Bradley, said.
Bradley credits the success of the “Huck ‘n’ Buck” to Walker’s rising fame.
“SMU started becoming a great football power when Doak was here, so the photography started taking off then and they kind of coincided. A lot of our credit goes to Doak,” he said.
“It was just like catching lightning in a bottle,” he continued. “Timing has to be everything.”
Bradley photographed many other athletes at SMU for years to come, including Don Meredith.
He smiled as he remembered the nickname given to SMU during Meredith’s tenure, “Southern Meredith University.”
Bradley continued taking pictures of athletes for many years. He has photographed every Cotton Bowl since 1948 and is a member of its Hall of Fame.
“It just means everything to me [to have my work displayed],” Bradley said as he looked over the new display. “It’s so nice to be included in the same cabinet with Don Meredith. I’m in good company there.”
