Sports Notebook: Zumbrota native becomes NFL head coach

Zumbrota native Gus Bradley has bounced around the college and professional football coaching ranks. Now, Bradley reached the pinnacle of his profession: NFL head coach.

On Thursday, Bradley, who was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, was named the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“I am very proud to accept the offer to be the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Bradley said in a statement released by the team. “(Owner) Shad Khan and (General Manager) Dave Caldwell expect to win, and that’s what I wanted to hear. That’s why I am coming to Jacksonville — to win a Super Bowl. I can’t wait to meet everyone in Jacksonville on Friday and get this going.”

Bradley, 46, has coached in the NFL since 2006 when he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ staff. Then in 2009, he became the defensive coordinator of the Seahawks and this season oversaw a defense that ranked fourth in the league in yards allowed and first in points allowed.

“It was just a matter of time before Gus Bradley became a head coach in the NFL,” Caldwell said, “and the Jacksonville Jaguars are extremely fortunate that Gus will be on our sidelines for many years to come. Gus more than met every criteria we insisted on from our new head coach, and his intangibles and leadership abilities are exceptional. Gus is who the Jaguars need now and in the future.”

Bradley was a free safety/punter for then-Division II North Dakota State from 1984-88, winning a D-II national championship in 1988.

His coaching career got under way in 1990 as a graduate assistant for the Bison. From 1992-96, he served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for Fort Lewis College (Colo.), before returning to NDSU from 1996-2005. At various points, he served as the defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and assistant head coach as NDSU made the transition to Division I-AA.

n The Red Wing Soccer Club opens online registration Jan. 28 for the 2013 summer soccer season. Financial aid is available from the Red Wing Soccer Club and a $25 dollar late free is required for registration received after Feb. 22, but late fees are waived for first-year players. In-person registration will take place Feb. 13-14 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Red Wing High School J-Pod on the south side of the building behind the green house. The price of registration varies by age and the price will be indicated on registration forms.

Mailed registration is also accepted at the Red Wing Soccer Club, P.O. Box No. 220 and for more information visit www.redwingsoccerclub.org or call 651-388-0939.

n Senior guard Nicole Anderson was one of two St. Cloud State University athletes named the university’s Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Athlete of the Month for her play with the women’s basketball team in December. Anderson, a standout at Cannon Falls High School, averaged eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals per game as the Huskies went 4-1 for the month.

For the season, Anderson is averaging 6.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and three steals per game. St. Cloud State is currently 11-3 overall and 7-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Huskies are receiving votes in the Division II USA Today Coaches poll.

n Former Red Wing girls hockey player Rose Alleva has started all 20 games this season for the Division I Princeton Tigers women’s hockey team. Alleva, a junior defenseman, has eight points on the season, scoring a goal and tallying seven assists. The Tigers are 6-12-2 overall and 2-10-2 in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

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