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Monday, May 14, 2012

Pirates hire new coach Leesburg's Curt Bradley, May 14, 2012

FOOTBALL: Leesburg High defensive coordinator to take over after spring

By DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI
Published: Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 1:00 a.m. 
 
Curt Bradley has moved 16 times in less than 27 years.

He is hoping his next move will be more permanent.

Braden River High named the 26-year-old Bradley as its football coach Friday, Director of Athletic Bob Bowling announced. Bradley replaces Don Purvis, who resigned suddenly last month.

Bradley's willingness to settle down and make the Sarasota/Bradenton area his home for years to come was a major selling point on him landing the job.

"They wanted me here, and I'm looking to stay here," Bradley said. "It's a good fit."

In fact, Friday afternoon Bradley was enjoying lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries off University Parkway and checking out places to live.

"We were very fortunate to find him," Bowling said. "His energy and enthusiasm jumped out at everybody."



After receiving about 40 applicants for the position, Braden River interviewed eight. Bowling spoke to seven or eight references on behalf of Bradley alone.

"His principal and AD at Leesburg spoke very highly of him," Bowling said. "They said he was a strong disciplinarian."

The son of former Major League Baseball player Phil Bradley, Curt has been the defensive coordinator at Leesburg High the past two seasons.


After playing wide receiver at Northern Iowa, where he was the captain, All-Missouri Valley Conference and on the All-Academic Team, Bradley also had a career in baseball.

Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 33rd round of the June 2006 Amateur Draft, the shortstop/center fielder played a year of professional baseball at Vero Beach.


Before his second spring training, Bradley received a call from Syracuse University coach Greg Robinson to serve as a graduate assistant and work with the defense. Bradley was at Syracuse for 2
years, also working under Coach Doug Marrone.

That is where he honed his organizational skills.

"As a grad assistant you are called upon to do different tasks," Bradley said. "If you're not organized, things are not going to get done in time. I was taught well."

"He's a good Xs and Os man," said Bowling, a former football coach at Palmetto High.
Bradley comes from a family of athletes.

His father had an eight-year professional baseball career with Seattle, Philadelphia, Baltimore, the Chicago White Sox and Yomiuri Giants. Phil was selected to the American League All-Star Game in 1985.

He has two interesting distinctions: He hit the first night home run at Wrigley Field, but it did not count as the game was rained out before it became official. And he was the final strikeout victim when Roger Clemens fanned a major league record 20 for the first time in 1986.

Phil currently is a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Missouri softball team.

His mother Ramona played college basketball in Iowa and currently is into running.

His sister Megan was a professional tennis player and former tennis coach at Princeton University.

Now, Megan Rose, she is the reason the Bradley's originally moved to Florida from Iowa. The family went to Miami so Megan could enhance her tennis career. The family also had a place in Rosedale Golf and Country Club in Bradenton.

"I always liked it there," Curt said.


When the Braden River position became available, Bradley did some research on the program that had three coaches in the past four seasons: Josh Hunter and Ed Volz for one and Don Purvis for the past two.

Turning 27 at the end of June, Bradley thinks his youth can be a benefit to the program -- "My enthusiasm and energy," he said.

For what he lacks in experience, Bradley has enough former mentors he can call for advice.
"We're going to win the right way, not just on the football field, but in life," he said.

"Players who come into the program we hope will leave better men. On the field, we are going to compete hard and do the little things right."

With remaining responsibilities at Leesburg as guidance counselor and testing coordinator and paperwork issues in Manatee County still not finalized, Bradley likely will not join the Pirates' program until June, after the 20 days of spring practice in May. That leaves Greg Williford, an assistant under Purvis, to run the spring practices.

Braden River's spring game is May 25 at Naples, and there is a good chance Bradley will be in attendance.

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