Tom Bradley, Longtime Penn State Assistant, Part of Steelers' Changes

The Pittsburgh Steelers let go of three assistants, including Tom Bradley, who spent more than 35 years as a player and coach at Penn State.

The Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday let go of three assistants, including Tom Bradley, the longtime Penn State player and coach.

Bradley joined Pittsburgh's staff in 2018 as the defensive backs coach after three years at UCLA. Prior to that, Bradley had resumed his coaching career in 2014 as the associate head coach at West Virginia.

The Steelers also announced that the contracts of offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett were not renewed.

"Change is a part of our business," head coach Mike Tomlin said this week. "I'll acknowledge the possibility for that. We are just beginning the process of having those types of meaty discussions that usually produce changes or non-changes. It is that time of year. I anticipate those discussions happening and happening rather soon as we plot a course to move forward."

Bradley, 64, has a long history with Penn State, having spent more than 35 years with the program as a player and coach. Joe Paterno made him a graduate assistant in 1979, soon after Bradley's playing career ended, and Bradley worked his way up to becoming defensive coordinator in 2000.

Bradley served as the interim head coach for the last four games of 2011 after Joe Paterno was fired. Bradley went 1-3, defeating Ohio State 20-14 in a game the Buckeyes were coached by Luke Fickell.

After the Steelers hired him in 2018, Bradley returned to Penn State's Holuba Hall for the first time since moving on from the program. He attended the team's Pro Day that featured Saquon Barkley, Mike Gesicki and Marcus Allen, among many others. The Steelers ultimately drafted Allen in the fifth round.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.