(Nov. 19, 1934-Oct. 3, 2025)
Word reached my ears on a Sunday morning in October that Ronald M. Bradley had completed his race after 90 years, 10 months and 14 days. And what a race it was. I sank into my chair for a few moments, then allowed my initial heartache to turn to gratitude after having been afforded the opportunity to get to know the man who had impacted the lives of so many people in my hometown.
Bradley made a name for himself long before I was born. He enjoyed a standout playing career as a multi-sport athlete at the University of Georgia, where he led the school’s baseball team to back-to-back SEC championships (1954–55), then set out on a remarkable journey from the bench that would span nearly half a century. Bradley started his coaching career at Newton High School, where he guided the boys’ basketball team to 430–68 record, 14 region titles and the 1964 state championship across his first 17 seasons. His run included a national record 129-game home winning streak that still defies belief. Bradley left Newton following the 1974–75 season and went on to coach at several other stops, including George Walton Academy in Monroe and Loganville High School in Loganville. The wins and accomplishments continued to pile up, as monumental success followed him everywhere he went.
Bradley returned to coach Newton for a second time in 2001. I was sports editor of The Covington News at the time, which made it my good fortune to cover the man about whom I had heard so much while growing up here. He exceeded all my expectations in those four years. I had never been around such wisdom. Bradley guided the Rams to three 20-win seasons and two region championships, closing out his second tour at the school with a Final Four appearance in 2005. He proceeded to coaching stints at Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross and Heritage High School in Conyers before calling it a career.
By the time Bradley was done, the numbers were downright staggering. He had compiled a 1,372–413 record, giving him the highest win total of any high school basketball coach in state history. Keep in mind, this says nothing of the successes he enjoyed coaching baseball (158 wins) and football (130 wins). Bradley belongs to seven different halls of fame and drew enough attention for his exploits that he was featured in Sports Illustrated twice. The gymnasium at Turner Lake Park in Covington now bears his name—an honor bestowed upon him by the Newton County Recreation Commission.
I left The Covington News in 2006 and flirted with the idea of writing a book about Bradley, but life became increasingly complicated in my late 20s and I regretfully lost touch with him over the years. In July, I learned that he had lost Jan, the love of his life and wife of 71 years, so news of his own death was not all that unexpected. They were inseparable—she had purportedly missed only five games of the thousands he coached—and anyone who had been around them for any amount of time had to know they would not be kept apart for long. Nevertheless, I felt a deep sense of sorrow with their departures.
Bradley may have crossed the bridge to eternity, but he leaves behind a far-reaching legacy through the children he raised together with Jan and the countless players he coached and mentored. His impact can still be felt on the sidelines, too. Rick Rasmussen, his top lieutenant and eventual successor at Newton, has stitched together a hall-of-fame resume of his own, having led the North Oconee High School boys’ basketball team to consecutive state championships in 2024 and 2025. That apple certainly did not fall from the Bradley coaching tree.
Click here to read more stories by Brian Knapp.
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