When Chioke Bradley took over as Mansfield Senior’s football coach in the spring of 2010, his first order of business was to bring stability to a program that had lost its way.
Job well done.
A 1994 Senior High graduate, Bradley has led his alma to unprecedented heights in his 14 seasons in charge. A win in Friday’s regular season finale against crosstown rival Madison would put him in an exclusive fraternity.
Only Scott Spitler, who has built a small-school powerhouse at Lucas, has more wins among active Richland County coaches. Spitler, who took over in Lucas in 2009, won his 100th game earlier this season.
Bradley could join Spitler in the century club Friday night when the Tygers (7-2, 6-0) host crosstown rival Madison.
It’s worth noting that Mansfield Senior is 101-52 during Bradley’s tenure but two of those wins came during the COVID-altered 2020 season.
Bradley was sidelined with the illness in wins over Mount Vernon and Sylvania Southview. Former defensive coordinator Sean Adams was the interim head coach and was credited with the victories.
Bradley is the longest-tenured head coach in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. Only Spitler has been on the job longer in Richland County.
To put Bradley’s staying power into perspective, consider:
• Madison is on its fifth head coach since 2010. Sean Conway was hired at Madison the same year Bradley took the reins at Senior High. Conway stepped down in 2014 after a successful five-year run. He was followed by Jamie Masi, Dave Stupka, Scott Valentine and Brent Besancon.
• B.J. Payne was the head coach at Lexington when Bradley took over at Senior High. He was followed by Dan Studer, Taylor Gerhardt, Tim Scheid, Gerhardt again and, for the past two seasons, Andrew Saris.
• Ontario is on its fifth head coach during Bradley’s run. Scott Bloom was the head coach in 2010. Scott Kreger, Chris Hawkins, Chris Miller and Aaron Eckert followed.
• Shelby is on its fourth head coach since 2010. Chris Solis coached the last of his seven seasons in 2010. He was followed by Steve McCoy, Erik Will and Rob Mahaney.
• Besides Lucas, only Clear Fork and Plymouth have enjoyed any degree of stability since the Bradley era dawned at Senior High.
Dave Carroll fashioned a 90-61 record as the Colts’ head coach from 2009 to 2022 before being replaced by Aaron Brokaw this fall.
Mark Genders took over at Plymouth in 2007 before stepping down after last season. John Gillum is in charge of the Big Red now.
It’s not just longevity that distinguishes Bradley.
The Tygers have been wildly successful during his tenure. Senior High is 101-52 (including the aforementioned 2020 victories) since 2010. What’s more, Mansfield Senior is 63-28 in OCC play. Only Ashland (64-27) has a better record during the same stretch.
Bradley has piloted the Tygers to five Ohio Cardinal Conference championships. Senior High is guaranteed at least a share of this year’s title and can win it outright for the first time since 2013 with a win over the Rams.
Bradley’s other OCC championships came in 2012, 2015 and 2017. Wooster has won six OCC titles. Mansfield Senior, Ashland and West Holmes all have five.
Senior High will makes its ninth trip to the playoffs under Bradley this year.
He has guided Senior High to the postseason each of the past five years, including the memorable 2019 campaign in which the Tygers went 13-2 and reached the Division III state championship game before falling in overtime to Trotwood-Madison — literally coming within a fingertip catch of winning it all.
All but one of Mansfield Senior’s playoff victories have come under Bradley.
Stan Jefferson took the Tygers to the postseason for the first time in 1993 — Bradley’s senior year — and three straight years from 2000 to 2002.
Senior High was 1-4 in the postseason under Jefferson, the only win coming over Canton GlenOak in 2000.
Since Bradley took over, Senior High is 9-7 in the postseason and has won at least one playoff game each of the past four years.
Bradley has also enjoyed unparalleled success against Mansfield Senior’s biggest rival. The Tygers are 9-4 against Madison and have won seven of the past eight meetings.
But ask Bradley what he is most proud of and without hesitation he will point out the number of players he sent to college.
That group includes sons Myles, who is a redshirt freshman linebacker at Bowling Green, and Keontez, a true freshman defensive back at Arizona State.
His oldest son, Chioke Bradley Jr., played at Toledo and Findlay. Youngest son Mekhi starred for his father and is a true freshman wrestler at Cleveland State. He also has a daughter, Lacee Bethea, who plays soccer at Bowling Green.
All Bradley wanted to bring to Mansfield Senior was stability. He has delivered so much more and the program is all the better for it.