This was not the year anyone wanted for Heisman-winning quarterback Sam Bradford, especially with how high the expectations were coming into the season.

The Sooners were destined to make another run for the national championship, but that destiny quickly evaporated when Bradford was driven awkwardly on his throwing shoulder near the end of the first half of a 14-13 season-opening loss to Brigham Young on Sept. 5 in Arlington, Texas.

Bradford, who threw for 50 touchdowns in a historic 2008 season, suffered a second-degree AC-joint sprain in his shoulder, and opted to wait a few weeks to try to have his shoulder heal.

Within a couple weeks he was able to throw short passes, and returned to the playing field Oct. 10 against Baylor at home, a game in which he completed 27 of 49 passes for 389 yards and a touchdown in a 33-7 victory.

But that was the last complete game Sooner Nation got from its hometown hero.

Just seven plays into his next game, which was a highly touted match up against the Texas Longhorns, Bradford aggravated his shoulder injury. The fall was his first hard one since returning to action.

At the time the shoulder felt the same as it did when Bradford originally injured it, he said, but this time he decided the best thing to do was to have surgery and to enter the NFL draft.

He had a successful 35-minute surgery performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Oct. 28 in Birmingham, Ala.

And that was the last thing Sooner fans saw from Bradford for a while that did not involve wearing a sling. During the rest of the season, he roamed OU’s sideline acting as a supporter for his teammates and coach for redshirt freshman quarterback Landry Jones.

The Sooners ended the 2009 season 8-5 and with a victory in the Sun Bowl, but they failed to do what they did during both of Bradford’s full seasons: win the Big 12 and make a BCS game.

Bradford reappeared on the national scene March 29 when he held his pro day at Everest Training Facility in front of many NFL scouts, general managers, coaches and analysts. Some of the people in attendance included Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary.

Bradford threw 63 passes – 13 warm up and 50 scripted – and impressed everyone watching by completing all but one attempt, and that one was dropped.

His pro day was the best individual quarterback workout since Troy Aikman’s before he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, said Gil Brandt, former vice president of player personnel for the Cowboys and current NFL.com writer.

Bradford leaves OU holding program records for career yards (8,403), yards in a single season (4,720), career touchdown passes (88) and touchdown passes in a single season (50).

“I’ve been extremely blessed to be here,” Bradford said in his press conference announcing his decision to leave OU on Oct. 27. “The past three-and-a-half years have been three-and-a-half of the best years of my life. I wouldn’t trade a day of it.”