Steelers hire Tom Bradley as defensive backs coach

The Steelers acted quickly to hire a new defensive backs coach, bringing former Penn State interim head coach Tom Bradley back to Western Pennsylvania.

Bradley, 61, was hired Thursday, one day after defensive backs coach Carnell Lake resigned so he could spend more time with his family in California.

A Johnstown native, Bradley is the younger brother of Steelers team orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Bradley. It is his first coaching position in the NFL.

“I want to thank Coach (Mike) Tomlin and the entire Steelers organization for this opportunity,” Bradley told the Steelers website. “I am excited to be a part of such a rich tradition here. We have a great nucleus in the defensive backs room, and my goal is to help this group continue to grow and develop as we all work toward one goal.”

Bradley spent more than 30 years at Penn State as an assistant coach and was the Nittany Lions defensive coordinator from 2000-11. He served as interim head coach when Joe Paterno was forced to resign amid the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal. Bradley left Penn State after that season.

He spent the 2014 season at West Virginia, where he also was the senior associate head coach. He was the defensive coordinator at UCLA the past three seasons.

For four seasons in the 1990s at Penn State, Bradley worked with defensive backs, and he continued to oversee the development of the team's cornerbacks while he was the team's defensive coordinator.

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.