Dorados Announce First Player Signed
January 21, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rio Grande Valley Dorados News Release
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST MARCUS BRADLEY JOINS DORADOS
HIDALGO, TX: January 21, 2004 â The Rio Grande Valley Dorados of arenafootball2 (af2) signed their first player in franchise history today, signing defensive specialist Marcus Bradley for the 2004 season.
"I am thrilled to have Marcus on our squad and as our first signed player," said Dorados Head Coach Gary Gussman. "He is a great leader and role model on and off the field for the younger players we will have. I had an opportunity to coach Marcus in the past, so I know how much of an impact he can be on special teams."
Bradley, a 6'0" 205-pound native of Gaffney, South Carolina joins the Dorados after spending last season in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampede. He played six games last season with Calgary before re-aggravating a leg injury that transpired during the 2000 season.
Coach Gussman is no stranger to Bradley. The two crossed paths in Houston, as Bradley spent time during the 1999 and 2000 season with the Arena Football League's Houston ThunderBears, where Gussman served as an assistant coach. Bradley led the ThunderBears in special team tackles in 1999 and finished the season with 27 tackles (26-solo, 2-assisted) in 5 games. The 27 year-old Bradley returned to Houston the following season (2000) and played 2 games before heading to the Calgary Stampede. It was there that Bradley hit a speed bump in his career. He was a rookie defensive starter and posted 6 tackles and an interception through four games, but suffered a season ending leg injury. The injury kept him off the field for two seasons. While rehabbing, Bradley went to Clemson University and served as a student-assistant with the university's strength and conditioning program.
Bradley attended training camp with the San Diego Chargers in 1998 after closing out his college career. He began his college career in 1995 at Dodge City (KS) Community College and finished second on the team in tackles (84) before transferring after his sophomore year to Western Carolina University. Bradley spent the 1996 and 1997 season with Western Carolina, finishing second on the squad in tackles (84) after junior season (1996) and earning 2nd-Team All-Southern Conference honors. As a captain during his senior season (1997), Bradley broke the program's single season record for hits with 145 off of 87 unassisted tackles and a school single-season record 58 assisted tackles. He owns the school record for unassisted tackles in a game with 20 against Georgia Southern in 1997, and is ranked tied for 11th on the schools all-time sacks list with 15.
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