Atiba Bradley was named the 13th full time head football coach in the history of Missouri Southern on February 5, 2021. He becomes the first graduate of Missouri Southern to lead the Southern football program. Bradley went 1-0 in his only game in the spring of 2021. He enters the 2023 season with an 8-15 overall record.
“I’m extremely excited and honored for the opportunity to lead this football program,” said Bradley. “This is a position that is near and dear to my heart, a coveted position that returns me home and keeps me home for the future.”
Bradley continued the improvement of the Missouri Southern program in year two as the Lions improved to four wins with three losses of four points or less. Southern placed 13 student-athletes on the All-MIAA squad with Nick Williams leading the way, earning first-team All-MIAA honors at place kicker and second-team honors at punter. Nathan Glades and Richard Jordan Jr. were second-team selections with Williams.
Williams averaged 43.25 yards per punt this year which was just off the single season record at MSSU. He had a long of 72 yards and 22 inside the 20-yard line with 13 going 50 yards or more. He was 12-of-17 in field goals this year, including kicking the longest field goal in the MIAA at 52 yards and is the seventh-longest in Division II this season. Williams ranks sixth in a career in kick scoring (120), while his 24 field goals rank fourth-most all-time at MSSU.
Jordan finished the season with 106 tackles and is the third Lion to record three separate 100-tackle seasons in his career. He finished his career with 381 tackles, ranking third in MSSU history behind only Hall of Famer's Ron Burton and his father Richard Jordan Sr. Jordan ranked eighth nationally and led the MIAA in forced fumbles, while ranking second in the league in total tackles and third in solos. His 11 career forced fumbles is an MSSU record
Glades ranked third in the MIAA in rushing yards and rushing yards per game but was just shy of the top mark among running backs. He rushed for 855 yards and six scores this season, averaging 4.6 per carry.
The Lions were also excellent in the classroom with five players earning Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators and 27 Lions earning a spot on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. Solomona Fetuao was a named an MIAA Scholar-Athlete
In year one in charge of the Lions made strides on offense and defense with a team that was mostly underclassmen. On offense Dawson Herl had one of the better freshman season's in program history as a signal caller along with Glades having the same kind of impact at running back. Brian Boyd Jr. was one of the better wide receivers in the MIAA and led the team in receptions, yards, receiving touchdowns and all-purpose yardage. Keandre Bledsoe wrote his name in the MSSU history books as one of the better tight ends in program history and was part of the leadership team that mentored the young Lions. On defense the Lions secondary helped key them to being the second best passing defense in the MIAA and Dylan Bolden lead the team with five interceptions and two returned for touchdowns. Richard Jordan Jr. lead the tackling trio at linebacker with Colton Winder and Coleman Booker while Jordan Jr. was an All-American. Nick Kruse and Fetuao were able to bring pressure off the edge or in the middle for the Lions while the defensive line saw many underclassmen gain valuable experience. Nick Williams was a one man kicking unit where he scored the second most points by a kicker in school history for a single-season and was one of the better punters in the MIAA.
Overall 10 Lions were named All-MIAA with an All-American for the first time since Brandon Williams in 2012. 31 were named onto the MIAA Academic Honor Roll with David Oplotnik named an Academic Excellence Award Winner for having a perfect GPA.
Bradley’s coaching career has seen him develop strong Midwestern ties at a variety of levels. He comes to Missouri Southern from NCAA Division II McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois where he was the Bearcats defensive coordinator. Prior to that, he served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at NCAA Division I FCS University of South Dakota from January of 2016 through December of 2018. Bradley spent three years from 2013-16 at NCAA Division I FCS Western Illinois as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
He was also defensive coordinator at NCAA Division II Quincy University (Illinois) for the 2012 season. Bradley served as a graduate assistant at the University of Missouri from 2008-10. He was a student assistant and graduate assistant for the Lions from 2006-08 and was the Lions assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator from 2010-11 under head coach Bart Tatum.
As a player at MSSU, Bradley was a two-time All-MIAA honorable mention pick as a linebacker. During his senior season, he finished as Missouri Southern’s second-leading tackler with 72 stops (30 solo), including 9.5 for losses and one sack. Bradley was ninth in the MIAA that year in tackles. In his career, Bradley finished with 224 tackles, including 17.5 for a loss of 69 yards, 6.5 sacks for a loss of 52 yards, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one interception for a return of 37 yards.
A graduate of Joplin High School, Bradley played on the offensive and defensive lines where he was a first-team all-conference, all-district and all-area performer and a second-team all-state selection for the Eagles.
Bradley and his wife Jacquelyn, also a graduate of Missouri Southern, have three children, Briauna, Kiara and Marcus.
