Lundblade Getting Married and Getting Ready for NFL and New York Jets

We caught up with former Oklahoma State center Brad Lundblade on the week that he is getting married and also asked him about the last week's news at Oklahoma State.

STILLWATER -- This coming Sunday former Oklahoma State center Brad Lundblade will be nervous, likely more nervous than his playing days at Oklahoma State, as he will be standing at the alter in Abilene, Texas watching his bride to be, Heather Harper walk down the aisle. 

"I really fortunate," Lundblade said like most of us before we got married. "They say you only have to fool one and I'm just trying to marry her before she changes her mind. I'm really lucky."

Lundblade will be good at being a husband just like he has been good throughout his career. The undersized center from Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas that walked on and became a three-year starter, a three-time All-Academic All-Big 12 honoree and a first-team All-Big 12 center as voted on by the coaches his senior season; has that protective gene that will help him to be a good husband and father. I think it is why he has overachieved and is still in the NFL. He made it as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals and then was picked up by the Carolina Panthers and now signed by New York Jets.

"It's been a whirlwind," Lundbalde said of his NFL career. I spent my whole first season with the Cincinnati Bengals and then was with them in training camp last year and they released me at the end of camp. I signed with the Carolina Panthers and was there until week 14 and got released and then spent the rest of the season with the New York Jets. 

"It was a wild year being on three different teams, but it was a fun season," Lundblade continued. "I'm excited to be in New York. My O-line coach in New York is Frank Pollack, the same O-line coach I had in Cincinnati. It was great to be reunited with him and come in and know his system and his terminology. I know how he coaches and it was great to get reunited with him and get a fresh start with the Jets. It's been great so far."

It says something that Pollack was fired up to get Lundblade back after having coached him in Cincinnati. I think most coaches and players that have been with Lundblade would echo. This is a guy you want in your locker room, a guy you want on your team because he fosters the kind of attitude that you want players to have. Lundblade is a winner, which is why he was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the college football academic Heisman. 

He is responsible and will help teammates be responsible. That could be huge this coming season as the NFL tries to have a football season in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Right now, I don't think anyone knows what it is going to look like," Lundblade said of the season with coronavirus and he also added that having a wedding with the pandemic has also been an adventure. "I tink the NFL has a much better chance of having a season than college (football). For one, the sheer numbers. There are over 130 teams in Division I with over 100 players on each team and that is a lot of guys to monitor on a college campus day in and day out. You throw in the travel and just the social aspects on a college campus and you are dealing with 18-21-year-olds and not professionals that are getting paid and that all makes it difficult."

He thinks the NFL will have a lot easier time staying free of COVID-19 because to the numbers and that players will want to get paid and in the NFL you don't get paid if they don't play. He said parties and life on a college campus will be very tempting to those players.

Lundblade also was watching what went on at Oklahoma State last week. He admits that he never saw any racism with the program when he was in it and never saw any of that out of head coach Mike Gundy. 

"You know, obviously, it started off rocky with a lot of negative things being said about (Mike) Gundy and the program," Lundblade expressed. "Chuba said this when the video came out later that day and I think he would say that now, it would have been better to be handled internally rather than on Twitter. I would say that. Where things have gone since that, I've talked to some players in the program and they said players have been able to have conversations with Coach Gundy. I don't think Mike Gundy is a racist and there were a lot of negative things said about him. He was able to come to a better understanding of where the players were coming from and now they been able to unify as a team and push for change we'd all like to see."

Lundblade may be working out at home in the Dallas-area with virtual workouts coming from the Jets strength staff, but he is aware of the push for racial equality and the end of racial injustice and the importance of Black Lives Matter.

"All of this is about listening to one another and understanding one another, and making our society better," Lundblade added. "I wish there hadn't been the negative said about the program, but now I think Coach Gundy and the players will push for the changes we all are and we want to see and that is about a society with no racism and equality for everybody."

Lundblade has represented Oklahoma State well, while as a player, and now in the NFL. He is also about to take that step that I've heard Gundy lecture his players on many a time. The step where he will be called upon to be a good husband and someday a good father. Lundblade can tell you like many of us. Gundy teaches often with his team. It's a shame the public hasn't seen it as much.