Tom Bradley ( American football ) Thomas Mark Bradley is an American football coach and former collegiate football player . A longtime member of the Penn State coaching staff , Bradley served in a variety of roles for the program during a stellar career that spanned more than three decades . A defensive back for Joe Paterno in the late seventies , Bradley graduated from Penn State in 1979 and immediately began his foray into coaching . As a player Bradley played in some of Penn State ’ s greatest bowl games , including the 1975 and 1979 Sugar Bowls as well as the 1977 Fiesta Bowl . He graduated with a degree in Business Administration and immediately began coaching as a Graduate Assistant with Penn State , completing his Master ' s in Sports Administration in 1982 . Bradley most recently served as the interim head football coach at Pennsylvania State University after Joe Paterno was dismissed after 46 seasons as head coach . Bradley left the Penn State program in 2012 . He most recently launched his personal website , TomBradleyINC . com , via Twitter in June 2012 . Bradley is an active user on Twitter , operating under the handle @ TomScrapBradley . Bradley became a full - time staff member in 1980 . Soon thereafter , the traits that had made him a Special Teams captain manifested themselves in his coaching abilities . Known to be the 1st person into the office and the last to leave , Bradley built a reputation as an individual who worked tremendously hard . The product showed on the field . Bradley was named Penn State ’ s Defensive Coordinator in 2000 and his defenses quickly became known for their creativity and “ bend - don ’ t - break ” style . For much of the early 2000s Penn State ’ s defenses were at the mercy of an anemic offense on the other side of the ball . However , they continued to exhibit great talent and produced outstanding results . From 2004 to 2011 Penn State ’ s Defense ranked 3rd in the nation in Scoring Defense ( 16 . 4 ppf ) and was 5th in Total Defense ( 298 . 7ypg ) . In 2009 , the Nittany Lions ranked in the Top 15 nationally in the six primary defensive categories . Additionally , from 2004 to 2009 Penn State finished in the Top 15 in Total and Scoring Defense . A telling stat is that from 2004 through most of the 2011 season , Penn State held 53 of its 88 opponents to 17 points or fewer . 10 of those 53 came in Penn State ’ s illustrious 2009 campaign . Bradley has been recognized for his defense ’ s outstanding performances . He was named the Associated Press Defensive Coordinator of the Year in 2005 and was named Rivals . Com Defensive Coordinator of the Year in 2008 . Additionally Rivals . com had Bradley ranked as the 2nd best Defensive Coordinator in the nation before he was named interim head coach in 2011 . Coaching career . After graduating from Penn State in 1978 , he was named a graduate assistant for the 1979 season . He became a full - time assistant midway through the 1979 season . Over the next 20 years , he coached the running backs , wide receivers , defensive backs and special teams . After the retirement of longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky in 1999 , Bradley was named his successor . In addition to his role with the defense at Penn State , Bradley has been a highly successful recruiter for the Nittany Lions . Bradley served as a lead recruiter for Nittany Lions such as Shane Conlan , Lavar Arrington , Paul Posluszny , Sean Lee , Brandon Short , and Justin King . Bradley has coached many All - American and all Big Ten standouts including Arrington , Paul Posluszny , Dan Connor , Devon Still , and Shane Conlan , David Macklin . Bradley was a part of 33 Bowl Games at Penn State . Bradley and Galen Hall served as " co - head coaches " for part of the 2006 season when Paterno was out with an injury sustained during a game at the University of Wisconsin – Madison . Hall remained in his usual place in the press box while Bradley coached from the sidelines . Bradley remained loyal to Penn State and Paterno , and it was widely rumored that Paterno was grooming him as a successor . Bradley ' s feelings about coaching at Penn State or another school have been quoted , " there ' s a lot of loyalty that has been built up over the years . There ' s a family atmosphere between the staff , the players , and the community . It ' s a place that means a lot to my family . I don ' t want to go be a head coach just to say I ' ve been a head coach . That ' s never been part of it . If I find something better , I ' ll go . But I haven ' t found it . It ' s that simple . " In January , 2011 , Bradley was reported to have been interviewed as a candidate for the head coaching openings at the University of Pittsburgh , and Temple University , but Bradley ultimately remained on Penn State ' s staff for 2011 . On November 9 , 2011 , Bradley was named Penn State ' s interim head coach after the university ' s board of trustees fired Paterno . He coached Penn State for the final four games of the season , including the 2012 TicketCity Bowl . On January 7 , 2012 , Bradley resigned from the Penn State coaching staff after not being named head coach . He had spent the first 37 years of his adult life at Penn State as a player , graduate assistant and full - time assistant . Personal life . Bradley is the second - oldest of seven children . He graduated from Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown , PA in 1974 , where he played basketball and football . Tom was a three - year letterman in football and a captain his senior year . His father , Sam , played basketball for the University of Pittsburgh . His older brother Jim was a captain and standout linebacker at Penn State from 1973 to 1974 , played for the Cincinnati Bengals , and is the long - time team surgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers . His younger brother Matt played for the Nittany Lions from 1979 to 1981 . Bradley ' s nephew , Jim Kanuch , also played receiver at Penn State . His two sisters Patty and Cassy were outstanding All - American track athletes at Villanova Undersized , but tenacious , Bradley was given the nickname " Scrap " by teammate John " Mother " Dunn . In 1978 the Nittany Lions special teams adopted the name , calling themselves the " Scrap Pack . " Fans printed t - shirt s and bumper sticker s honoring them . On January 31 , 2010 , Bradley participated in a volunteer Humanitarian aid flight for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake . The 18 - hour flight from Pittsburgh to Port - au - Prince carried physician s and of supplies into Haiti and returned with a 16 - year - old boy with bone cancer for treatment in Pittsburgh . Former Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan was also among the volunteers involved . Bradley also served as the honorary chair of the Special Olympics in 2006 and is a member of the Cambria County Hall of Fame .