FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (August 5, 2021) – Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
Mike Marlow announced the hiring of
Lanny Bradford, NAU's new Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, on Thursday. Bradford makes the move north to Flagstaff after nearly two decades at the University of Arizona.
"NAU Athletics is absolutely thrilled to welcome Lanny, his wife Brooke and son Logan to the Lumberjack family," Marlow said. "As expected, a highly qualified group of finalists emerged and Lanny brought the experience, passion and vision for NAU Athletic Medicine that positions us best for the future."
Bradford will oversee NAU's Sports Medicine team, a unit that is full of tradition in large part due to former head athletic trainer and NAU Hall of Famer Mike Nesbitt. Nesbitt, who led the Lumberjacks' athletic trainers from 1970-2006, is a member of numerous athletic training Hall of Fames and was NAU's first Arizona Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
NAU Sports Medicine also has the largest endowment in the country dedicated specifically to athletic training.
"I'm thrilled to join the Lumberjack family, especially in an area with so much history and tradition," Bradford said. "I would like to thank our Athletic Director,
Mike Marlow, and former Head Athletic Trainer, Mike Nesbitt, for the opportunity to serve the student-athletes at Northern Arizona University."
Initially joining the Arizona Athletic Department in 2002, Bradford served as the athletic trainer for the Wildcats' football, baseball and swimming & diving programs through 2006. After leaving Arizona that year, he returned to Tucson in 2013 where he took over the role of associate athletic trainer and resumed work with the football team.
In between his two stints at Arizona, Bradford worked at California Berkeley from 2006-08 with the football team and from 2008-13 at Northwestern with the men's basketball and men's and women's golf teams.
Bradford, a native of Hugoton, Kan., got his professional start at Purdue, where he was a graduate assistant athletic trainer before moving on to work at Buena Vista University. During his two years at Buena Vista, Bradford handled the primary medical care for men's and women's soccer, women's basketball, wrestling, baseball and softball until beginning his first stint at Arizona.
Bradford received his bachelor's degree from Iowa State in 1998 in Exercise and Sport Science/Athletic Training and his master's degree from Purdue in higher education administration in 2000. He is a member of the National Athletic Trainers' Association, Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers' Association and Arizona Athletic Trainers' Association, which he also serves on the Board of Directors as the College/University representative.
