MANSFIELD — The search for Chioke Bradley’s successor is ongoing, but one thing became abundantly clear during a ceremony in his honor last week in the Mansfield Senior High School commons.
There’s no replacing the Tygers’ wildly successful former football coach on the field. His desire to help young people will be sorely missed, too.
A 1994 Senior High graduate, Bradley was honored during last week’s Ohio Cardinal Conference basketball game against crosstown rival Madison.
He stepped down following the recently-completed 2024 campaign, after 15 seasons in charge of his alma mater.
Bradley compiled a 103-62 record with five Ohio Cardinal Conference championships and nine playoff appearances.
He was Ohio’s Division II Coach of the Year in 2013 after leading the Tygers to the first unbeaten regular season in more than 70 years and piloted Senior High to the Division III state championship game in 2019, falling in overtime to Trotwood-Madison.
Advocating for young people
Beyond the unprecedented winning — he’s the program’s all-time leader in coaching victories — Bradley was among the biggest advocates for the city’s young people. More than 50 of his players signed to play college football.
“He cared about the kids and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” longtime Bradley assistant Antonio Fletcher said. “If it wasn’t for these kids, we never would have had the success that we’ve had.
“If it’s not about the kids, then we’re failing.”
Malon Samuel was one of those kids. He starred on Bradley’s undefeated 2013 team and joined his coaching staff in 2019 after a collegiate career that included stops at Malone University and Bowling Green State University.
“Chioke put in countless hours from the time I entered high school until he announced he was stepping down,” Samuel said. “He sacrificed time with his own family to make sure our kids were taken care of.
“His record speaks for itself, both in the amount of wins he had and the number of kids he got out of Mansfield.”
Providing an avenue to a college education was never an endeavor Bradley took lightly. Every summer, he lead a caravan across the Midwest during the camp circuit, an increasingly important piece of the recruiting puzzle.
“That was the ultimate goal, to get kids into college,” Bradley said. “Wins are important, but to see these young men have the opportunity to change the trajectory of their entire family … that’s what it was all about. For that, I sleep good at night.
“The most wonderful thing about it is I get to see guys like Malon go off to college and play ball and graduate, and now they’re back.”
Following Stan Jefferson’s path
It was a path Bradley traveled 30 years ago. His mentor, former coach and current Mansfield City Schools Supt. Stan Jefferson, provided the blueprint. Jefferson was a first-year head coach in 1993, Bradley’s senior season.
“I remember Chioke from the seventh grade until the time he graduated,” Jefferson said. “I am just so proud of him.
“We have been very fortunate to have Chioke Bradley. I can’t say enough about the contributions he has made to the program, the school and the community.”
With Bradley and lifelong friend Effie James leading the charge, the Tygers qualified for the playoffs for the first time in school history in the fall of 1993. Bradley was a Division I All-Ohio first-teamer.
“I’m beaming with pride because we grew up together and I know where he is coming from. I know his heart is pure,” said James, who had a successful four-year run as Senior High’s basketball coach from 2008 to 2012.
“You absolutely cannot replace Chioke Bradley. What you have to try to do is build on what he has established. What he has done here is something you can’t replicate,” he said.
A return to Mansfield Senior
James joined Bradley at BGSU after they graduated from Senior High in the spring of 1994. Bradley was a four-year starter for the Falcons, but injuries derailed his playing career and he returned to his hometown.
He joined Jamie Masi’s coaching staff in 2008 and was selected as Masi’s replacement two years later by the late Dick Windbigler, Mansfield Senior’s longtime athletic director.
“I thank God and Mr. Windbigler, may he rest in peace,” Bradley said. “Mr. Windbigler believed in me when no one else did. He gave me a shot.”
The Tygers were 6-4 in 2010, Bradley’s first season, and qualified for the playoffs in 2012 — Senior High’s first postseason appearance since Jefferson’s final season in charge in 2002.
Mansfield Senior returned to the playoffs in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The highlight came in 2019, when a talented senior class led by Mr. Football runner-up Angelo Grose, led the Tygers to the Division III state final.
The run included an overtime win over Sandusky in the regional final and an epic double-overtime victory over Aurora in the state semifinals on a frosty Friday night at Nordonia High School in Macedonia.
The Tygers fell to Trotwood 14-7 in OT a week later at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in the state finals at Canton.
‘I’ve got a 15-year honey-do list for him’
“The 2019 season was like a dream and if I could relive that like Groundhog Day, I would,” said Erica Bradley, Chioke’s wife of 11 years. “I’ve been a Tyger my entire life. I’ve loved this school and loved football forever. It feels kind of surreal.”
Having her husband all to herself hasn’t set in yet, Erica said.
“I’ve got a 15-year honey-do list for him,” she joked. “It doesn’t feel real yet, because this is still in the down period. Come summer and he’s still walking around the house, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Jack Soliday, who is sharing Senior High’s athletic director responsibilities with Laurie Romano, said Mansfield Senior’s next coach will have big shoes to fill.
“Chioke has epitomized Tyger football for the past 15 years,” said Soliday, who said applications will be accepted through the end of the month. “What he has done for the city … he’s going to be very hard to replace.”
James agreed.
“I’m not going to be satisfied until they put up a statue of Chioke at Arlin Field,” James said. “That is how much he has meant to the city.”
