Gordon Bradley
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 November 1933 | ||
| Place of birth | Sunderland, England | ||
| Date of death | 29 April 2008 (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Manassas, Virginia, United States | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1950–1952 | Sunderland | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1955–1956 | Bradford Park Avenue | 18 | (1) |
| 1957–1960 | Carlisle United | 130 | (3) |
| 1963–1964 | Toronto Roma | ||
| 1965 | Toronto City | ||
| 1968 | New York Generals | 27 | (0) |
| 1969 | Baltimore Bays | 14 | (0) |
| 1971–1975 | New York Cosmos | 52 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1973 | United States | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1964–1965 | New York Ukrainians | ||
| 1967 | New York Generals (assistant) | ||
| 1969–1970 | St. Bernard's School | ||
| 1971–1975 | New York Cosmos | ||
| 1973 | United States | ||
| 1976–1977 | New York Cosmos | ||
| 1978–1980 | Washington Diplomats | ||
| 1985–2000 | George Mason University | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Gordon Bradley (23 November 1933 – 29 April 2008) was an English-American football (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. During the Canadian off-season, he played and coached in the U.S. based German American Soccer League. In 1971, he became a player and head coach for the New York Cosmos. In addition to coaching the Cosmos, he has coached the U.S. national team and at the collegiate and high school levels. Bradley also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1973. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He 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.
Bradley grew up in Sunderland, England where he turned professional with the local Sunderland club at age sixteen. However, his career nearly ended just as it was beginning. During a training session, he shattered his right kneecap kicking a ball and it took over two years before he was fit to play again. In 1950, English conscription laws forced Bradley to choose between working in the government coal mines or entering the military when he turned nineteen. Bradley chose to work in the coal mines at Easington Colliery. In addition to working in the mine, Bradley continued to play football. While he began his career as a forward with Sunderland, the injury slowed Bradley and he moved into defense. 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.
In 1963, Bradley received a phone call from a friend in Canada who told him about a Canadian soccer league. Bradley emigrated to Canada where he signed with Toronto Roma of the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League in 1963. He played the 1963 and 1964 ECPSL seasons with Roma, then moved to Toronto City for the 1965 season.
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