Josh Bradley

Biography

Josh Bradley is entering his eighth year as the Head Coach for the Bryan College Cross Country and Track and Field teams. He oversees both the men’s and women’s running programs in his return to Bryan College after spending two previous years as the Head Coach for a middle school in North Georgia.

Last season, the Women’s Cross Country team finished fifth in the AAC Championship and the Men’s Cross Country team finished 4th, the highest in Coach Bradley’s tenure. Sarah Welch, Isabella Dawson, and Zachary Sever all qualified for the NAIA Cross Country Championship race. During the spring, the Women’s Track and Field team finished 7th in the AAC Indoor Championship and 9th in the AAC Outdoor Championship. Sarah Welch won three AAC Championships throughout the spring season in both the 600m (Indoor) and 800m (Indoor/Outdoor) races. Camille Holley also won the AAC Championship for the Javelin during the outdoor season. The Men’s Track and Field team finished 7th in the AAC Indoor Championship and 10th in the AAC Outdoor Championship. The 4×400 4×400-meter relay team of David Solis, Zackary Locke, Michael Stewart, and Jon David Nelson won the AAC Indoor Championship.

During the 2019-2020 season, the Women’s Cross Country team finished 10th at the AAC Championship in the fall. Four runners were named AAC All-Academic recipients. Later that spring, the Women’s Indoor Track and Field team finished 11th at the AAC Indoor Championship. Sarah Welch earned AAC All-Conference honors in the 800-meter. The Men’s Cross Country team finished eighth at the AAC Championship in the fall. One runner was named AAC All-Academic recipient. Later that spring, the Men’s Indoor Track & Field team finished ninth at the AAC Indoor Championship. The promising outlook on the outdoor portion of their campaign was brought to a halt before it could even begin. A multitude of sports sponsored by the NAIA, much like all other governing bodies of athletics in the country, were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that many spring sports witnessed an unexpected end to their year.

In the 2018-19 season, both women’s and men’s teams placed 11th at the AAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Four Lions were named part of the AAC All-Academic team, a Lady Lion earned the AAC All-Conference team, and one member was awarded the 2019 Daktronics-NAIA Men’s Track & Field Scholar-Athlete.

In the 2017-2018 season, Bradley helped lead the Lions to a record-setting year. Track & Field standout, and now Assistant Coach, James Eliezer put his name in the Lion’s T&F record book, running the 400-meter with a time of 47.23 seconds to become the 8th-fastest 400-meter sprinter in the country. Eliezer placed 4th overall in the AAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and became the first in program history to earn the All-American title. The Lions also experienced teammate Michael Briggs placed 2nd in the 600-meter with a time of 1:25:82 during the AAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, earning him All-AAC honors. The team also placed eighth in the Men’s Cross Country AAC Championship, had four members earn the AAC All-Academic team, and two members were named AAC Champions of Character.

Bradley’s 2016-17 season was extremely successful where one runner was named the male Bryan College Lion of Valor recipient, produced the Appalachian Athletic Conference Cross Country Runner of the Year, appeared at the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship and finished top-40, appeared at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championship and saw an 11th-place finish in the 5k, had a trio named NAIA Scholar-Athletes, and provided numerous AAC Runner of the Week honorees.

Bradley returns to Bryan where he ran from 2008 to 2011, graduating with a degree in History-Education.  He spent one year at Bryan as an assistant coach under Rodney Stoker, the coach who restarted the Cross Country Program in the fall of 2006.

Bradley hopes to bring the same level of excellence to his leadership that he brought when he ran as a Lion.  During his time at Bryan, Bradley was a four-time NAIA All-American (2008 Indoor-800m, 2008 Outdoor-800m, 2009 Indoor-800m, 2011 Outdoor-800m); he was AAC All-Conference six times (3-Cross Country, 3-Outdoor Track); and he owns eight school records (200, 400, 600i, 800, 1000i, 4×400,4×800, DMR).

Coach Bradley and his wife, the former Katherine Nelson who is also a Bryan graduate, reside in Dayton, TN with their three kids: Mattox, Millie, and Micah.