Three-time state wrestling champion Steven Bradley graduated from Beech Grove High School in 1998. This year, he became Marian University’s first wrestling coach.
Under Beech Grove coach Fritz Feigert’s leadership, the wrestling team qualified for state when Bradley was a sophomore. Bradley was state runner-up as a freshman and champion the next three years.
As a coach, Bradley is inspired by his time at Beech Grove.
“Everybody on the team knew that (Feigert) cared about us as athletes and as people,” Bradley said. “That’s probably one of the things that I try to really focus on with my athletes today – letting them know that I care.”
That attitude has worked for Bradley, who still sometimes helps train wrestlers at Beech Grove. According to a Marian University press release, “he has helped guide 33 All-Americans, 73 national qualifiers and three national champions” over 10 seasons as a coach.
At Marian, he will lead a young team with 17 freshmen out of 23 total student-athletes.
Bradley was a national runner-up in the National Junior College Athletics Association as a wrestler for Lincoln College. A neck injury sustained as a student at the University of Indianapolis ended his wrestling career. Though no longer wrestling, he continued school and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2005.
He became assistant wrestling coach for the next four years at the University of Indianapolis. He then coached for seven years (four as assistant and three as head coach) at Lincoln College. Last year, he was assistant coach at Roncalli High School.
“A lot of times, I’m not a man of many words,” Bradley said. “Obviously, the sport of wrestling has had a major impact on my life. I love the sport. I love what I do. I’m very blessed to have a lot of the opportunities and things that I have in front of me.”
Bradley was inducted into the Indiana Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008 as a wrestler.
He and his wife, Maggie, have a 4-year-old son, Camden. Another son, yet unnamed, is due this month.
Originally published in Southside Times, 2016. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.