Bradley selected for wrestling Hall of Fame

By Jared Lankford [email protected]

It was never a consideration. 

At no time did the thought of career honors or personal glory — let alone a hall of fame induction — cross the mind of Daryl Bradley when he entered in the coaching field and began at Monett High School.

Over 23 years, two decades of which he spent as the head coach of the Monett wrestling program, Bradley guided the Monett wrestling team to 134 state qualifiers, 25 state champions, 10 High School All-Americans and three State Championships in 2008, 2019 and 2020. Bradley won numerous awards as a wrestling coach, including the Missouri Coaches Association’s State Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2019.

He can now add Hall of Fame Coach to his resume, as he will be inducted into the Missouri Wrestling Association’s Hall of Fame on April 26 in Columbia.

“I’m just humbled and honored,” Bradley said. “I never thought about being in a hall of fame. But to be recognized for the effort is a wonderful feeling.”

The Missouri Wrestling Association (formerly the Missouri Wrestling Coaches Association) is comprised of over 250 member schools.

Candidates for the Hall of Fame must be out of coaching for five years and then be nominated by a member school in good standing.

The names and short biography are then submitted on a ballot to the entire membership, and the top three nominees receiving votes are then selected for induction.

Bradley said his prospective about coaching changed while at Monett. It started out about winning and then morphed into something much deeper and meaningful.

“It was different time when I came to Monett,” Bradley said. “I came out of Oklahoma, and winning was the main thing. I started out wanting to just get kids on the podium. I pushed them and coached them hard. Then, I realized, it is nice win, but I wanted to help these boys become better men. Set goals and help them reach that. It became more than just wins and losses. It became about building a better person. It became about a relationship.”

Bradley said it is those relationships that give him the most joy today.

“As I look back on my time at Monett, I am thankful for all the long lasting relationships with players and parents that I developed over the years,” he said. “That to me is bigger than anything we ever won. Seeing those boys become men and now watching them as adults means everything to me. I have lots of friends in Monett and still spend time with them when I come back to town. I am so thankful for every opportunity that Monett gave to me.”

Bradley began his career in Monett as elementary physical education teacher in 2000. After serving as the athletic director for the middle school from 2006 through 2010, he became the Monett R-1 School District Activities Director in 2010.

Bradley wore many hats during his tenure at Monett, including being a teacher and activities director: high school dean of students, head wrestling and golf coach, assistant football coach and middle school head wrestling and football coach.

Over the course of his 17 years as an athletic and activities administrator, Bradley facilitated the addition of eight sports at the high school and middle school and numerous facility additions and improvements while Monett teams won four state championships and finished in the top four in eight others.

Bradley left Monett in 2023 and now serves as a director for the Missouri State High School Activities Association.