Paul Casey "Gus" Bradley (born July 5, 1966) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
coach who is the
defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
for the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator for the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
from 2009 to 2012, where he was the original playcaller of the team's
Legion of Boom secondary. Bradley later served as the head coach of the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
from 2013 to 2016. Following his dismissal from Jacksonville, he returned to assistant coaching and became the Colts' defensive coordinator in 2022.
Early life
Bradley was the youngest child of six and grew up in
Zumbrota, Minnesota
Zumbrota is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the North Fork of the Zumbro River. The population was 3,252 at the 2010 census. It promotes itself as "the only Zumbrota in the world."
History
Zumbrota was claimed as a t ...
, where he played football, basketball and baseball at Zumbrota High School.
College career
Bradley played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...
from 1984 to 1988, where he was a
free safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
and
punter. Bradley helped the Bison win the
NCAA Division II Football Championship
The NCAA Division II Football Championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine a champion at the NCAA Division II level. It was first held in 1973, as a single-elimination tournament with eight teams. The tourna ...
in 1984, 1987, and 1988, or three of the four years he played. He also was a four-time academic all-
North Central Conference
The North Central Conference (NCC), also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II.
History
The NCC ...
selection.
Bradley earned
bachelor's degrees
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
in business administration (1989) and physical education (1990) from North Dakota State as well as a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in athletic administration from NDSU in 1992.
Coaching career
Early coaching career
Bradley joined the
North Dakota State Bison
The North Dakota State Bison are the athletic teams of North Dakota State University (NDSU), which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd". The current logo is a bison.
Sports sponsored
...
as a graduate asst. coach in 1990 and was there until 1991. He was the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at
Fort Lewis College
Fort Lewis College is a public liberal arts college in Durango, Colorado. Because of its unique origins as a military fort turned Indian boarding school turned state public school, FLC follows a 1911 mandate to give qualified Native Americans a ...
from 1992 to 1995 and spent four months as the team's head coach from December 1995 to March 1996. From 1996 to 2005 Bradley returned to North Dakota State and coached in many positions including defensive coordinator, linebackers coach, and assistant head coach to
Bob Babich and
Craig Bohl
Craig Philip Bohl (born July 27, 1958) is an American college football coach and former player, currently the head football coach at the University of Wyoming. He was previously the head coach at North Dakota State University in Fargo from 2003 ...
. Under Bradley's guidance, North Dakota State's defense led the
Great West Football Conference
The Great West Conference (GWC) was an NCAA college athletic conference in the continental United States. Originally a football-only league, it became an all-sports entity during the 2008–09 season. The GWC stopped sponsoring football following ...
in scoring defense (13.7 ppg), pass defense (150.3 ypg), total defense (272.4 ypg) and turnover margin (+1.00) in 2005.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In 2006, Bradley joined the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
as their defensive quality control coach, working closely with defensive coordinator
Monte Kiffin in the organization and implementation of the defensive game plan. In 2007 Bradley was promoted to linebackers coach after previous linebackers coach
Joe Barry
Joe Barry (born July 5, 1970) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Los A ...
left to become defensive coordinator for the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. Under Bradley's guidance, linebacker
Barrett Ruud
Barrett James Ruud (born May 20, 1983) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft and also played for the Tennessee Titans, ...
went on to earn NFC Defensive Player of the Month in September after leading the Buccaneers defense with 51 tackles and adding one
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
, three forced
fumbles
A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...
, two fumble recoveries and two passes defensed.
Seattle Seahawks
On January 12, 2009, the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
hired Bradley to become the team's defensive coordinator. He was recommended for the job by former Buccaneers defensive coordinator
Monte Kiffin.
In 2009, under Bradley's guidance the Seahawks' defense allowed opponents to gain 356.4 yards (24th in the league) and to score 24.4 points per game (25th). The Seahawks finished the season with a 5–11 record (3rd in the
NFC West
The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinal ...
, 25th in the NFL), and subsequently replaced head coach
Jim L. Mora with
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC Troja ...
.
Carroll decided to keep Bradley for the
2010 season; the two coaches have a common connection with Kiffin.
In 2010, the Seahawks' defense allowed opponents to gain 368.6 yards (27th in the league) and to score 25.4 points per game (25th).
In 2011, the Seahawks' defense allowed opponents to gain 332.2 yards (9th in the league) and to score 19.7 points per game (7th).
In 2012, the Seahawks' defense allowed opponents to gain 306.2 yards per game (4th in the league) and to score 15.3 points per game (1st).
Jacksonville Jaguars
![Blake Bortles Signing An Autograph 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Blake_Bortles_Signing_An_Autograph_2016.jpg)
On January 17, 2013, Bradley was hired as the new head coach of the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
. His first regular season win came on November 10, 2013 with a 29–27 victory over the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
. The Jaguars ended the season 4–12, and Bradley was eventually named the head coach of the South team in the
2014 Senior Bowl
The 2014 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featured players from the 2013 college football season, and prospects for the 2014 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game concluded the post-seas ...
. On December 18, 2016, the Jaguars relieved Bradley of his duties as head coach, compiling a 14–48 record in 4 seasons.
Los Angeles Chargers
On January 20, 2017, the
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
hired Bradley as defensive coordinator under head coach
Anthony Lynn
Anthony Ray Lynn (born December 21, 1968) is an American football coach and former running back who is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in t ...
. After a 2017 season that saw the defense allow 17 points per game, the third-fewest in the NFL, Bradley received a three-year contract extension in January 2018.
Las Vegas Raiders
On January 12, 2021, Bradley was hired by the
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...
to be their defensive coordinator under head coach
Jon Gruden
Jon David Gruden (born August 17, 1963) is a former American professional football coach who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He held his first head coaching position with the Raiders franchise during thei ...
, replacing
Paul Guenther, who was fired during the
2020 season.
Indianapolis Colts
On February 4, 2022, Bradley was hired by the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
as their defensive coordinator under head coach
Frank Reich
Frank Michael Reich Jr. (; ; born December 4, 1961) is an American football coach and former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Maryland a ...
.
Head coaching record
References
External links
Las Vegas Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Gus
1966 births
Living people
American football punters
American football safeties
Fort Lewis Skyhawks football coaches
Jacksonville Jaguars head coaches
North Dakota State Bison football players
North Dakota State Bison football coaches
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches
Las Vegas Raiders coaches
Los Angeles Chargers coaches
Seattle Seahawks coaches
National Football League defensive coordinators
People from Zumbrota, Minnesota
Indianapolis Colts coaches