Tom Bradley passes at 81
 
Standout on '71-72 Viking men's basketball team that reached national quarterfinals
 
His decision to attend Western led to best season of school's first 100 years
 
 BELLINGHAM, Wash. --- Tom Bradley, who played a key role in helping Western Washington University (then Western Washington State College) to a never to be forgotten men's basketball season in 1971-72, died Sunday (1/15/2023) at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington D.C. He was 81 years old..

Bradley had been in hospice at the Veterans Administration Hospital in D.C. for most of the past week.
 
At age 30, Bradley, a much sought-after transfer from Walla Walla (Wash.) Community College (then Walla Walla Junior College), averaged a team-leading 5.5 assists, along with 8.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. He also was a lock-down defensive player for the Vikings, who ranked 12th nationally in points allowed per game (65.9), with 100 steals and 23 blocked shots.
 
Western finished 26-4 after opening the season with 21 victories and reached the quarterfinals of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Tournament held at Kansas City, Missouri, after prevailing in the best two out of three game District 1 playoffs.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Bradley had been the Most Valuable Player of the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) post-season tournament in 1971, leading Walla Walla JC to the title game during his second and final season with the Warriors.
 
Bradley was born on September 7, 1941, at Anderson, South Carolina, one of 11 children to parents Christopher and Wilhemina. The family moved to Washington D.C. where Tom attended Bell Vocational. He was an exceptional athlete, one of the best in city history, participating in four sports as a prep. He competed in baseball (pitcher and shortstop), football (quarterback and defensive back), basketball (guard) and track and field (high jump, mile relay).

In an interview on the www.theafricanamericaathlete.com website entitled, "Lawrence Bradford talks hoops and dance on the 'Ins and Outs of Sports,'" Bradford, a former basketball standout in the D.C. area, called Tom Bradley the best athlete ever to come out of Bell Vocational, which was known for its standout athletes.

Following graduation from Bell Vocational in 1960, Bradley played football one semester at NCAA College Division Elizabeth City College (now Elizabeth City State University), an historically black college in North Carolina.

Returning to Washington D.C., Bradley was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Germany. There he played on a base battalion basketball team that traveled throughout Europe, won a championship and competed against one country's Olympic team on national TV.

Three years later, with his tour of duty completed, Bradley came back to the states. He had a tryout with the Major League Baseball Washington Senators and played against members of the NBA Baltimore Bullets in pickup games on the playgrounds of D.C.

There he caught the attention of Bill Butler, whose work with young people in the District of Columbia became legendary. Over a period of 30 years, Butler helped as many as 200 black athletes obtain scholarships and counseling to attend two and four-year colleges.

With Butler's help, Bradley went to Walla Walla, Wash., to attend Walla Walla Junior College. As a freshman on an 18-10 squad in 1969-70, he averaged 22.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, shooting 53.7 percent from the field.

As a sophomore in 1970-71, Bradley was even better, averaging 22.2 points and converting a school-record 176 free throws. He led WWJC to a 23-6 record and a runner-up finish at the NWAC Championships, being named tourney MVP.

After choosing to attend Western, Bradley sacrificed his scoring abilities to become the glue of that '71-72 squad.

"As long as we won, I didn't care what style we played or role they wanted," said Bradley in an interview. "It slowed me down some, but we played together and that was the key."

"I thought it was a great team. We all came together and there were no problems or animosity. We played to win and got along well. It was nice."

Western had split with Eastern during the regular season, losing 69-68 in overtime at Cheney and winning 83-75, also in extra time, at Carver Gym.

In the district playoffs, Western, the No.1 seed, lost the opener, 71-60, on the road. But the Vikings regrouped to take the final two games at Bellingham. They tied the series by prevailing 78-75 in overtime, though never leading in regulation; and won the title contest, 76-68.
 
 It was one of the most memorable seasons in Western athletic history, generating an excitement that totally captivated the campus, city and surrounding area. There were standing-room only crowds of 3,000-plus for each home game and fans were glued to the radio for every road contest.

Making the season extra special was how this 10-man team, composed of four black and six white players, played in helping Western through one of the most revolutionary times in the country's history. Unrest, protests and sit-ins were the norm on campus, spurred by the unpopular war in Vietnam, racial and social issues.

"In all my years here I never saw one thing that so unified our campus and community than this team," said then Western director of men's athletics Dr. William "Bill" Tomaras. "Athletics showed its powerful influence in the problems of today as an agent of understanding and unification of blacks and whites in demonstrating they can live and work together in harmony."

Added Vikings' Hall of Fame post player Rudy Thomas, "The most important thing to me was that my teammates and I learned from each other and supported one another … My teammates were my great experience with other cultures, and together we had one of the great experiences of our lives. To this day, we still stay in contact."

The Vikings reached the quarterfinals at the 1972 NAIA national tournament, one of the most memorable in that organization's history. The finish was not matched in Western history until the turn of the century (NCAA II semis 2001, national title in 2012 and quarterfinals in 2013).

Western defeated Findlay (Ohio), 66-63, and Northeastern Oklahoma State, 74-68, before its season came to an end with a six-point loss to the nation's highest scoring team Gardner-Webb (North Carolina), 81-75, after trailing by just one, 46-45, at halftime. The setback came despite holding the Bulldogs nearly 30 points below their season scoring average of 110 points per game. And this was 14 years before the three-point line became a part of college basketball.

Bradley opted not to play his final season. His mind was made up to focus on academics.

Bradley and girl friend Lorna (Hendrickson), whom he had met at WWJC, were married during the spring of 1972 and their first child, Lynette, was born in March of 1973. At that same time Tom earned a bachelor's degree and graduated from Western.

At the urging of WWJC President Dr. Eldon Dietrick, Bradley returned to WWJC to serve three years as Veterans Advisor and assistant basketball coach.

Following two years in Washington D.C., Bradley returned to Western for a year to work on his master's degree. There son Thomas (Tommy) was born in December of 1978. 

In August of 1979, the Bradley family went back to D.C. where twin daughters, Tasha and Tonya, were born in 1981.

Bradley worked in a Washington D.C. school district for 36 years, teaching physical education and science and working with special education children. He coached at the junior high level and officiated at the high school level for 20 years before retiring in 2012.

Tom and Lorna divorced in the mid-1980's, but they and the children remained close.

Bradley lived his remaining years in Hughesville, Maryland, just a short distance from Washington D.C. He married Sheila in the 1990s, and had another child, Christopher. His first child, son Anthony Dyson,was born in 1965. 

Big Blue of '71-72 never to be forgotten

The 1971-72 men's basketball season will always hold a special place in the hearts of Western fans. It was truly an extraordinary season, one that will never be forgotten by those who experienced it.

In describing his team during that season, Western coach Chuck Randall said, "If the world was like my basketball team things would be in great shape – no jealousy or prejudice, just people working together and giving to each other."

 
 Front Row (L-R): Manager Eugene Cash, Tom Mount, Mike Franza, Bob Nicol, Mike Preston, Tom Bradley.
Back Row: Head coach Chuck Randall, Chip Kohr, Mike Buza, Lee Roy Shults, Rudy Thomas, Roger Fuson, Gary White.