1. Gordon Bradley was an English-American soccer midfielder born and raised on Wearside who played several seasons with lower-division English clubs before moving to play in Canada at the age of 30.
22 Facts About Gordon Bradley
1. 2.
Gordon Bradley is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
3.
Gordon Bradley grew up in Sunderland, England where he turned professional with the local Sunderland club at age sixteen.
4.
In 1950, English conscription laws forced Gordon Bradley to choose between working in the government coal mines or entering the military when he turned nineteen.
5.
Gordon Bradley chose to work in the coal mines at Easington Colliery.
6.
Gordon Bradley signed with Bradford Park Avenue in 1955 then in 1957, he moved to Carlisle United where he eventually played 130 games, scoring 3 goals.
7.
Gordon Bradley spent five seasons in Canada playing in the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League.
8.
Gordon Bradley signed with the New York Generals of the NPSL.
9.
Gordon Bradley remained with the Generals as they entered the NASL, serving as both player and assistant coach during the 1968 season.
10.
The Generals folded at the end of the season and Gordon Bradley moved to the Baltimore Bays for the 1969 NASL season.
11.
The Bays folded at the end of the 1969 season and Gordon Bradley was not associated with any NASL team for the 1970 season.
12.
Gordon Bradley returned to the NASL in 1971 when the expansion New York Cosmos signed Bradley as both its first coach and first player.
13.
Gordon Bradley gained his start in coaching with the New York Ukrainians of the German-American Soccer League in 1963.
14.
Gordon Bradley later served as an assistant coach with the New York Generals of the North American Soccer League in 1968.
15.
Gordon Bradley lasted until 7 July 1977 when the team moved him to the front office as Vice President of Player personnel during the season and replaced him as coach with Eddie Firmani.
16.
USSF called Gordon Bradley, who was on vacation, and asked him to coach the team.
17.
Gordon Bradley coached the US to six straight losses and was dropped as head coach at the end of the year.
18.
Gordon Bradley coached the Patriots for sixteen years until retiring on 4 December 2000.
19.
In May 2006, Gordon Bradley was inducted into the George Mason Hall of Fame.
20.
Gordon Bradley worked as a color analyst alongside Bob Carpenter on NASL games in 1983.
21.
Gordon Bradley was featured as a television commentator on Home Team Sports during local broadcasts of MLS' DC United games.
22.
Gordon Bradley spent his last years out of the public eye, suffering from Alzheimer's disease and spending his last month in a full-care facility in Manassas, Virginia.