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Gordon
Bradley (1933-2008)
by Ray Alley
Gordon Bradley passed away in Northern
Virginia on April 29 at the age of 74 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
That he had been ill surprised a lot of people who never knew that he
had the disease.
That was Gordon, a man who in his lifetime had a huge impact on the development
of soccer in the United States, but one who drew less attention to himself
than to the game he loved.
In his lifetime, Gordon touched the lives of tens of thousands of people
through his love of the game. He took the time with everyone!
He was more than a coach. He was a teacher, an advocate, a soccer pioneer
and a teller of stories. In time, he became a familiar color analyst on
D.C. United’s MLS games on Home Team Sports.
Gordon was an immigrant who grew up in England, becoming a player at a
very young age. He played with older players, often accepted because he
was a good player and also because he was willing to “chase the
ball” when it went past or over the goal and down the road.
He was proud of becoming an American citizen, but never lost his love
for England. He first migrated to Canada, but soon signed on as the first
player for the New York based Cosmos. He was also hired as the coach.
He coached the team through tough times and also the glory years. He was
there when the Cosmos brought Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos
Alberto and a host of other international superstars to the team.
In the good years the team drew crowds of 60,000-70,000 and won championships,
and in the bad he was replaced.
He and his family moved to Northern Virginia and he became the coach of
the NASL Washington Diplomats, who had a few stars of their own, including
Dutchman Johan Cruyff.
When the league folded, he remained in the Washington, D.C., area trying
time after time to bring professional soccer back to the nation’s
capital.
When the position of men’s soccer coach at George Mason University
came open, he was approached by the GMU director of athletics. It wasn’t
the Cosmos calling, or pro soccer at all, but it was soccer and Gordon
answered the call. He would coach GMU for 16 years.
Gordon’s contributions in New York, out in Massapequa on Long Island,
and in D.C. and Northern Virginia are well documented. Less is known about
his contributions in North Carolina.
And forgive me, but it is here that the story becomes personal.
Gordon and I met on a soccer field more than 20 years ago in Reston, VA.
He was watching his son Douglas play. I was waiting for the game to end
so my team could take the field. I knew who he was. He had no reason to
know who I was.
Phone numbers were exchanged, and months later I mustered the courage
to inquire as to whether he might be interested in coming to North Carolina
to spend a week at my soccer camp.
He did, and that began a series of summer visits to piedmont North Carolina
that extended over two decades. There were also trips in January to work
a winter weekend coaching workshop.
On these trips he worked with young players and coaches who had never
seen the Cosmos or Dips play. He brought the game to them.
It has been said about Gordon that he was a patient man. No question sincerely
asked was too absurd, and deserved an answer. The man also had a kind
word for a young player, encouragement, and was often the one who put
a band-aide on the scraped knee of a six-year old.
Those who knew Gordon, regardless of how well they knew him, lost a friend.
Soccer lost a friend when he passed.
But the game lives on through those who learned a bit about the game from
Gordon Bradley.
He often said when coaching a group of young players, “when not
in possession (of the ball) get in position.” No doubt that advice
has been passed on to other young players over the years.
You have to have the ball in order to have possession, so always be willing
to be the one who goes to get the ball when it misses the goal.
Thanks, Gordon.
Gordon
Bradley Memorial Site
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