 Bradford is 1/16th Cherokee and is listed as an official citizen on the Cherokee Nation tribe's rolls.Bradford was the first person of identified Cherokee descent to start at quarterback for a Division I university since Sonny Sixkiller, a full-blooded Cherokee, who played for the University of Washington during the 1970–1972 seasons.His father, Kent Bradford, was an offensive lineman for the Sooners from 1977 to 1978.