The Bradley Braves are the intercollegiate athletics teams of

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

, located in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

, United States. The Braves' athletic program is a member of the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

(MVC) and competes at the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

level. The Bradley mascot is Kaboom! the Gargoyle, and the school colors are red and white.

Sports sponsored

Bradley Polytechnic Institute opened its doors in the fall of 1897, and the school fielded a football team in that first fall and a baseball team in the spring of 1898. Men's basketball debuted in 1902–03 with no coach and no home court, but was destined to become Bradley's most successful team; over the years, the Braves have played in 34 post-season tournaments, winning the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

(NIT) four times and being runners-up in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

and the NIT twice each and in the

College Basketball Invitational The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...

(CBI) and

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was an American men's college basketball postseason tournament founded by Collegeinsider.com. The tournament was oriented toward schools that did not get selected for the NCAA Division I men's ...

(CIT) once each. A member of the

, Bradley University sponsors teams in seven men's and eight women's

sanctioned sports. Bradley is the only NCAA Division I school that sponsors men's but not women's soccer.

Men's basketball

Bradley is best known for its college basketball success. Bradley has been to nine NCAA tournaments, including two national championship games, three Elite 8s, and four Sweet 16s. Bradley has an overall NCAA Tournament record of 11–9. Bradley has been to the NIT 21 times and won it four times. Their postseason NIT record is 25–18. Only one school (St. Johns, 27 times) has been to more NITs, or won it more times (St. John's, 6 times). Years in NIT - 1938, 1939 (third), 1947, 1949 (fourth), 1950 (second), 1957 (won), 1958, 1959 (second), 1960 (won), 1962, 1964 (won), 1965, 1968, 1982 (won), 1985, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2007 The Braves basketball squad was incidentally co-featured in a 1955 ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' article focusing on their cheerleaders. The two-page spread, heavy with photographs taken at a tournament in New Orleans, Louisiana, keyed in on the enthusiasm and school spirit of the coeds. Perhaps as irony, Bradley's basketball team, in action vs. Holy Cross, was shot as background for their avid supporters. Holy Cross defeated the Braves in this game, 89–81. The Braves basketball team's current head coach is Brian Wardle. He became the program's 14th head coach in history in 2015 and led the Braves men's basketball team to the NCAA Tournament in 2019. This came as a surprise because the Braves finished 5th out of 10 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2019. They finished with a 9-9 conference record but went on to win the conference tournament, giving the Braves the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Football

The Bradley football program was initiated in 1897, concomitant with the school's founding; three games were played by the fledgling squad, resulting in an 0–3 record. The Braves continued to field a gridiron team every year, with exception of the interruption of World War II (1943–1945), through the 1970 season. Upon the retirement of head coach Billy Stone, coupled with other considerations, the football program was at that point discontinued. The team played its games at Peoria Stadium.

Facilities

*Baseball –

Dozer Park Dozer Park, originally O'Brien Field and formerly Chiefs Stadium, is a baseball field located in downtown Peoria, Illinois. It is the home of the Peoria Chiefs, the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals; the Chiefs previously playe ...

*Basketball (men's) – Carver Arena @

Peoria Civic Center Peoria Civic Center is an entertainment complex located in downtown Peoria, Illinois. Designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Philip Johnson and John Burgee, it has an arena, theater, exhibit hall and meeting rooms. It opened in 1982 and ...

*Basketball (men's and women's) – Renaissance Coliseum *Cross country – Detweiller Park and Newman Golf Course *Golf – WeaverRidge Golf Club *Soccer –

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex *Tennis – The Clubs at River City (indoor) and

David Markin Tennis Courts David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

(outdoor) *Track & field (indoor/outdoor) – no home facilities *Volleyball – Renaissance Coliseum

Braves in the pros

Basketball

Chet Anderson Chester Leonard "Chet" Anderson Jr. (March 14, 1945 – March 14, 2007) was a professional American football tight end in the National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that ...

Bob Carney Robert Lee Carney (August 3, 1932 – November 9, 2011) was an American basketball player. He played in West Aurora High School and collegiately for Bradley University. He was selected by the Milwaukee Hawks in the 6th round (47th pick overall) ...

Danny Granger Danny Granger Jr. (born April 20, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 2005 after a two-year college stint at New ...

, played basketball at Bradley; later transferred to New Mexico before playing in the NBA *

Hersey Hawkins Hersey R. Hawkins Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. After starring at Chicago's Westinghouse High School, the 6'3" (1.90 m) shooting guard attended Bradley University. Hawkins played for 4 teams ...

Patrick O'Bryant Patrick Fitzgerald O'Bryant (born June 20, 1986) is an American-Central African former professional basketball player. The , center was selected out of Bradley University by the Golden State Warriors with the 9th overall pick in the 2006 NBA dra ...

* Anthony Parker *

Roger Phegley Roger Dale Phegley (born October 16, 1956) is an American retired professional basketball player. A 6'6" (198 cm) 205 lb (93 kg) shooting guard, he played college basketball at Bradley University and had a career in the NBA from 1 ...

Marcus Pollard Marcus LaJuan Pollard (born February 8, 1972) is a former American football tight end and current director of player development and youth football for the Jacksonville Jaguars. College career Born in Lanett, Alabama, Pollard attended Valley Hi ...

, played basketball at Bradley; played football for his pro career * Ray Ramsey, played basketball and football at Bradley; played two games in the BAA (now NBA) before fully committing to football for the rest of his career *

Chet Walker Chester Walker (born February 22, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Bethlehem, Mississippi, Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team. He graduated from Bradley ...

Baseball

* Mike Dunne * Mike Grace *

Lee Handley Lee Elmer Handley (July 13, 1913 – April 8, 1970) was an American professional baseball second baseman and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1947 for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phill ...

Guy Hoffman Guy Hoffman (born May 20, 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a drummer and vocalist, formerly of such bands as Oil Tasters, BoDeans, Violent Femmes and Absinthe. He is a composer for such films as ''Field Day'' and a founding member of Radio Rome ...

Jim Lindeman James William Lindeman (born January 10, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball player. He played mostly in the outfield and at first base, appearing in parts of nine seasons in the majors from 1986 until 1994. Professional career He was the S ...

Brandon Magee Brandon Magee (born October 22, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He played in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers while at the same time played in the MLB for the Boston R ...

* Zach Monroe *

Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career as a center fielder for the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995). Puckett is the Twins' all- ...

Bryan Rekar Bryan Robert Rekar (born June 3, 1972) is a former American professional baseball pitcher who played for the Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) during an 8-year career. Career Colorado Ro ...

Rob Scahill Robert Joseph Scahill (born February 15, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago White Sox. Career Colorado Rockies Scahill atten ...

Brian Shouse Brian Douglas Shouse (born September 26, 1968) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher and Minor League pitching coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Te ...

Mike Tauchman Michael Robert Tauchman (born December 3, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants, and in the K ...

Bill Tuttle William Robert Tuttle (July 4, 1929 – July 27, 1998) was an American professional baseball player. Primarily a center fielder, he appeared in 1,270 games played in Major League Baseball over 11 seasons for the Detroit Tigers (1952; –1 ...

Football

* Pat Brady * Don Carothers * Harry Jacobs *

Dick Jamieson Richard Alexander Jamieson (November 13, 1937 – May 2, 2001) was an American football and baseball player and coach of football. He was the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) in 1997. He also s ...

Joe Prokop Joseph Prokop is a former professional American football player who played punter for seven seasons for the Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and New York Giants The New York Giant ...

* Ray Ramsey * Billy Stone

Soccer

* Stephen Brust *

Salim Bullen Salim Bullen (born March 16, 1984) is a former American soccer player. Career Bullen spent his college career at Bradley University where he made a total of 65 appearances and tallied three goals and nine assists. He also spent time with the F ...

Bryan Gaul Bryan Gaul (born August 10, 1989 in Naperville, Illinois) is an American soccer player who most recently played for FSV Zwickau in the 3. Liga. Career College and Amateur Gaul played college soccer for Bradley University between 2008 and 2011. ...

Gavin Glinton Gavin Glinton (born 1 March 1979 in Grand Turk) is a Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two ...

* Luke Kreamalmeyer *

Bryan Namoff Bryan may refer to: Places United States * Bryan, Arkansas * Bryan, Kentucky * Bryan, Ohio * Bryan, Texas * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town in Sweetwater County in the U.S. state of Wyoming * Bryan Township (disambiguation) Facilities and structu ...

Tim Regan Tim Regan (born June 27, 1981) is a former American soccer defender. College Regan played college soccer at Bradley University from 1999 to 2002, where he established himself as one of the best players in the program's history. After startin ...

Mascot History

Bradley University has gone through a couple mascot changes through its lengthy history as a school. Its athletic teams first started going by the Braves around the 1930s when famed athletic director and coach A.J. Robertson supported a name that separated them from schools who used 'Indians' instead. From then on the schools has kept the name Braves despite the mascot changes. The school originally started out with a Native American mascot who donned the full costume and typical props. Going by 'Chief Bradley', the mascot stood side-by-side with a hawk mascot in the following years and went by 'Tommy Hawk'. After students, faculty, and alumni started to plead with the university, and the NCAA started to crack down on Native American imagery, Bradley dropped all Native American-related merchandise and images from the school, including mascots and offensive logos in 1992. They then introduced a bobcat mascot. The mascot was not around for long as a connection to the university, and a lack of support led to its official demise in 2000 when the school dropped the bobcat. From 2000 to 2014, Bradley had no mascot. That is until on February 22, 2014, Bradley officially introduced its new mascot: a Gargoyle named KaBoom!. The mascot represents the mythical creatures that sit atop Bradley Hall and now the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center as well. It was given the name KaBoom! after the iconic call that insinuates from Dave Snell, Bradley basketball's play-by-play announcer, after a dunk.

Fan Zone

The Red Sea is the Bradley Athletics official student section. The Red Sea membership, currently, is $75 and it covers all four years the student attends Bradley. When you become a member you are able to receive tickets to every home men's basketball game, which are available to pick up during the organization's "Table Times" in Bradley's Student Center or at the Ticket Office located in the Renaissance Coliseum. For non-member students, they will have to pay a dollar. Members also receive a Red Sea T-shirt as well as other giveaways that occur throughout the school year. Only members get to attend pizza and poster parties where they can interact with the board members of the Red Sea as well as some athletes from various sports. Red Sea partners with the Student Activities Budget Review Committee every semester to get funded that allows the Red Sea to have multiple giveaways each semester. Members have the opportunity to join the executive board, which gives them a chance to communicate with the athletes and coaches to see how they can help each other for their upcoming season as well as provide ideas and designs for future giveaways. The Red Sea is part of, and in charge of, the Shea Brigade, at Shea Stadium, which was created in the spring semester of 2015. This is a student section, located behind the goal, for anyone who would like to cheer on the Bradley Braves soccer team.

References

{{Illinois Sports