Life University Athletics

MARIETTA, Ga. — Director of Athletics Jayme Pendergast announced an internal promotion and program reorganization Monday afternoon that will fill the open role of head coach of the men's varsity rugby program, as well as create opportunities for increased synergies between the men's varsity and club programs.  Dr. Blake Bradford was named Director of Men's Rugby and will soon open a new position of Assistant Head Coach, which will also oversee responsibilities in both programs.  With the reorganization, there will also be graduate assistant opportunities in specialized coaching roles for both programs.

"We had deep interest in this position and a lot of quality candidates," said Pendergast. "There are high expectations from this men's rugby program not only on the performance side, but also the academic engagement and culture side.  I was also able to get really great feedback from members of the varsity team on some opportunities we can capitalize on in this coaching transition.  Ultimately the decision came down to finding proven leadership in those areas of focus, 15s championship success, continued 7s success, as well as finding someone that will honor the deep legacy of Life University rugby.  There was no better candidate that checked all of these boxes than Blake, who has been impactful in his leadership for many years.  With the reorganization, he will be able to put together a great team of specialized position coaches that will benefit both the varsity and club program.  We also believe this will allow us to better capitalize on some synergies between the two programs that will directly benefit our student-athletes.  I'm so confident in the proven leadership of Blake and look forward to seeing continued success in our men's rugby programs."

Bradford's wealth of rugby knowledge stems from an exemplary career as both a coach and a player. Originally from South Africa, Bradford came to Life University to earn his Doctor of Chiropractic degree while continuing to progress in his rugby career.  After a successful stint as a first row player on the Life U Men's team, which won the USA Rugby Club National Championship, and finished runners-up in the Rugby Super League, Bradford traveled to Michigan to open a practice. While in Michigan he coached at Michigan State University prior to returning the Atlanta in 2015. While there, he occasionally served as a team chiropractor for the Life U rugby teams when they traveled to play near his practice.

In 2014, Bradford returned to Life U to become coach of the men's team, while also serving as an associate at a chiropractic office in the Atlanta area. Bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the program at Life U, he helped take the team to five straight National Title games, winning three including back-to-back titles in 2018 & 2019. As the Head Coach for the Men's Club Team, Bradford increased the Attitude, Hustle and Aggression of the club, producing eight Championships in eight years. 
 
Bradford shared his thoughts on the internal promotion, stating, "I am very grateful to Jayme for giving me this opportunity and trusting me with the future of the men's rugby program. The Varsity team has had a lot of success over the last 12 years under the leadership of some great rugby coaches. I look forward to continuing this legacy along with the Club rugby team at Life U."

Outside of Life U, his experience and success led him to a selection as a USA National Team coach, coaching the USA Selects Forwards in the 2018 Americas Pacific Challenge in Montevideo, Uruguay.  In 2018-19, he also served as the Men's Collegiate All-Americans Forwards Coach and helped develop some of the Nation's best student-athletes.

For Rugby ATL, Bradford currently sits as an Assistant Head Coach, coaching the forwards and defense. He specializes in providing the structure and framework for the set-piece, producing one of the league's best forward packs in the three most-recent seasons (2020-22). This upcoming fall he will be the scrum coach for the USA Men's National team. 

Outside of rugby, Bradford is a father of three, devoted husband, teacher, Doctor, Academic Advisor, and mentor in every facet of his life. He is a true example of Life University's commitment to developing people and he will continue to create positive change through his compassionate nature and dedication to the storied Life University rugby community.