Mayfield football stays in Bradley family, Trojans name Gary Bradley head coach
LAS CRUCES - The Mayfield football program will remain in the family of New Mexico coaching legend Jim Bradley.
The school announced on Thursday that Gary Bradley will replace his brother, Michael, as the Trojans head coach.
"It's pretty special when I step back and look at it," Gary Bradley said. "My dad was the first coach at Mayfield and had a lot to do with opening it, picking the colors and the mascot. My brother coaches there, my other brother Jimmy coached there and it's where I got started in the 1980s. The family aspect is really special to me."
Michael Bradley announced his retirement in December after replacing Jim Bradley as the head coach in 2006.
"It’s a coaching family and we have been brought up in that atmosphere since day we were born," Michael Bradley said. "It's kind of a legacy that is living on at Mayfield and I'm really thankful that the administration got him to be the next head coach at Mayfield.
"As the season went along, I started looking at things and realizing that I'm ready for that next step. I thought Gary was an excellent fit for all of the experience that he has had."
Michael Bradley won 139 games and three state titles at Mayfield, with Gary Bradley serving as offensive coordinator along with Jim Bradley coaching the quarterbacks in 2006. Jim Bradley won five state championships at Mayfield.
"I had been trying to get him back over here since he left," Michael Bradley said. "I'm really excited about it. He did a great job last year and connects well with the team. ... Just having him on a staff knowing that he knows how to run a football program."
Gary Bradley rejoined the Trojans program last season as offensive coordinator returning to Las Cruces after seven seasons as the head coach at Carlsbad and seven seasons at Farmington.
"We never really talked about a plan, it was just the timing for me and my family," Gary Bradley said. "My dad was year by year for a long time and finally just said, 'I'm going to retire,' and I think my brother is doing the same thing."
Gary Bradley has 78 head coaching wins under his belt at Farmington and Carlsbad. He was 54-31 with six postseason appearances at Farmington and won the Class 4A state championship in 2013 to cap a 12-1 season.
"It's not why I came back, but in the back of my mind it was there," Gary Bradley said. "I love being a head coach and putting it all together and just having the whole network in place. The only place I could go was Mayfield under my brother where I wouldn't have to learn a new system. I still have that head coach blood running through my veins."
Gary Bradley replaced Ron Arrington at Carlsbad in 2015. Bradley was 24-51-1 at Carlsbad, where he coached against his brother on multiple occassions as district rivals, as well as the 2019 playoffs, where Mayfield won 21-14.
The Trojans finished 5-7 last year and lost in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
"The schedule that we have is almost the same as I had at Carlsbad," Gary Bradley said. "We played Roswell, Goddard and Artesia and we were in a district with Mayfield, Cruces, Organ Mountain and Centennial and that is our schedule right now. They are all great programs with great coaches. Having a little insight is good, but we still have to play ball on Friday nights."
Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Mayfield football stays in Bradley family, name Gary Bradley head coach
