Roderick Bradley
Encyclopedia
Roderick "Rod" Bradley (born 29 March 1983) is an English American football
er from Grantham
, England.
to study art. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in illustration from the school of art and design. At Oakham he spent his middle school career in Barrow house.
From a young age it was clear that Rod was dyslexic. His academic subjects in school were a big weakness for him and as a result this was trouble for him both in and outside of school. However, he found solace in art, and spent much of his time drawing in exercise books. He felt that if he was going to fail in school he would work double hard at Art and Sport.
He also experimented with film direction, and some of his directing work can be seen as he directed a film for clothing label Hijack Baselayer.
. He excelled and became the Great Britain youth champion in less than a year. In the European championships he suffered a seemingly career ending injury to his knee, leaving his lower leg almost detached from the upper after ligament tears. After months of rehabilitation and surgery he could walk again, but medical advice suggested an end to his sporting career.However, he received a call up to the Great Britain squad two years later after many attempts to return to action, playing alongside his brother for his country.
Currently, Rod is the Wide Receiver
for the London Blitz
American Football Club. He captained the team in the 2007 BritBowl
and the Blitz came away with the title.Before joining the Blitz, Rod was selected to become a member of the Great British Lions squad and has competed at county and regional level as a swimmer and rugby player.
on Sky 1
’s revival of the 90’s cult TV series of the same name. As Spartan, his tagline is:
And his theme tune is Bonnie Tyler
's Holding Out For A Hero
.
Bradley's application came about by chance. While working in a hotel, he met Ian Wright
, who later got him an audition.
Once Rod got the audition he had to go through a variety of tests, including role play! People who had audition were dropping like flies, meaning that to be a Gladiator you not only needed to be muscley but they also have to be very athletic as well.
In the first series of Gladiators
, Kirsty Gallagher nicknamed Rod as the “Flirt In A Skirt” and Rod was also nicknamed the “Duel King” due to his near perfect record with a pugil stick in the game "Duel".
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
er from Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
, England.
Education
Roderick “Rod” Bradley is from Grantham, England and was born on the 29th of March 1983. Rod attended Oakham School for seven years between 1994 and 2001 before going to LoughboroughLoughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
to study art. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in illustration from the school of art and design. At Oakham he spent his middle school career in Barrow house.
From a young age it was clear that Rod was dyslexic. His academic subjects in school were a big weakness for him and as a result this was trouble for him both in and outside of school. However, he found solace in art, and spent much of his time drawing in exercise books. He felt that if he was going to fail in school he would work double hard at Art and Sport.
He also experimented with film direction, and some of his directing work can be seen as he directed a film for clothing label Hijack Baselayer.
Sporting career
Eventually Rod started to play American FootballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. He excelled and became the Great Britain youth champion in less than a year. In the European championships he suffered a seemingly career ending injury to his knee, leaving his lower leg almost detached from the upper after ligament tears. After months of rehabilitation and surgery he could walk again, but medical advice suggested an end to his sporting career.However, he received a call up to the Great Britain squad two years later after many attempts to return to action, playing alongside his brother for his country.
Currently, Rod is the Wide Receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the London Blitz
London Blitz (American football)
London Blitz are a British American football team based in North London at Finsbury Park athletics stadium.- Overview :The Blitz field a senior team in the BAFA Community Leagues Premiership as well as youth teams. The roster has included both local players as well as players from North America,...
American Football Club. He captained the team in the 2007 BritBowl
BritBowl
BritBowl is the championship game of the British American Football Association Community Leagues, and formerly the British American Football League in the United Kingdom. It is the most prestigious of the league's three bowl games that constitute BritBowl Weekend. Only teams in the Premier...
and the Blitz came away with the title.Before joining the Blitz, Rod was selected to become a member of the Great British Lions squad and has competed at county and regional level as a swimmer and rugby player.
Other Ventures
Rod is also a freelance artist and design urban clothing for Rudey Arts and new sportswear for Player Layer.Rod supports many charities including the Vitiligo Society and is a great supporter of sports in schools.Gladiators
Since 2008 Rod has been known as the lovable gladiator ‘Spartan’. Bradley was selected to become one of the 12 new GladiatorsGladiators (2008 UK TV series)
Gladiators was a British television series which aired on Sky1 from 11 May 2008 to 25 October 2009. It was filmed in Shepperton Studios and was produced by Shine Limited. It was a revival of the earlier series of the same name and based on the American version of the show. The US, UK and...
on Sky 1
SKY 1
The Box is an entertainment channel in New Zealand available on SKY Network Television.The channel shows are a variety of the most recent shows such as from the United States, for example CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Simpsons, Family Guy, World Wrestling Entertainments hit shows, and...
’s revival of the 90’s cult TV series of the same name. As Spartan, his tagline is:
And his theme tune is Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
's Holding Out For A Hero
Holding Out for a Hero
"Holding Out for a Hero" is a song written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford, originally recorded by Bonnie Tyler. It was released in 1984 on the soundtrack to the film Footloose. It later appeared on Tyler's Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire album. It hit #96 for the first time in UK in 1984,...
.
Bradley's application came about by chance. While working in a hotel, he met Ian Wright
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
, who later got him an audition.
Once Rod got the audition he had to go through a variety of tests, including role play! People who had audition were dropping like flies, meaning that to be a Gladiator you not only needed to be muscley but they also have to be very athletic as well.
In the first series of Gladiators
Gladiators
Gladiators is a British television series produced by LWT for ITV on Saturdays nights from 10 October 1992 to 1 January 2000. It is an adaptation of the United States game show American Gladiators. An Australian spin-off and a Swedish one followed...
, Kirsty Gallagher nicknamed Rod as the “Flirt In A Skirt” and Rod was also nicknamed the “Duel King” due to his near perfect record with a pugil stick in the game "Duel".