Orange County recognizes Coach Anthony for decades of mentoring

The whiteboard in Coach Anthony’s office is filled with motivational quotes written in various marker colors: “Every day get 1% better.” “Today is the first day to live.” “Dedication has no limitation.” “A good coach teaches the game; a great coach teaches life.”

Fredrick Bradley — Coach Anthony to hundreds of youth and young adults in the Tildenville and east Winter Garden communities — believes most children just want to be heard, need encouraging words and long for a comforting hug. So, the coach makes himself available to provide these necessities.

Orange County Government has recognized Bradley as an unsung hero at the Orange County Parks and Recreation Division, where he is employed with the Jr. Magic Program at the West Orange Recreation Center, in Winter Garden. For 25 years, he has been a positive role model for the community’s children and teens.

“I deal with kids who haven’t had breakfast that morning, who haven’t taken a real good shower,” Bradley said. “I can read them because I’ve been around them so long. I know when they’re having a bad day. … You have young guys in here who just need a hug. They’re 10 years old and just need to hear it’s going to be OK.”

JUST LIKE THEM

Bradley said he can relate to the struggles some of these kids have.

“I grew up in the Ivey Lane projects; my mom had six children before she was 21,” Bradley said. “I moved everywhere; we moved constantly. Ivey Lane, Eatonville … I was the new kid a lot. I went to about four or five elementary schools.”

He wants them to know everything will be OK, just as it was for him.

Today, his 86-year-old mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Bradley, is his motivation.

“That’s what keeps me going,” he said. “Because what she went through in life, she was on her own at 13 and she did whatever it took to feed us. She made sure we all graduated from high school.

“I preach to the young men, God and your mama,” he said. “I preach it every day. After that, everyone else falls in place.”

STRIVING TO DO BETTER

In 1999, Bradley had an epiphany that changed his course in life. He was attending the funeral of a friend who died at an early age.

“When people got up to talk about him, all they had to say about him was, ‘We hung out.’ They had nothing else. They didn’t say he helped his community, nothing about his kids, his family. … I said, ‘If I leave here today, that’s all they would say about me.’ … So, I changed my life.”

Bradley joined the staff of Orange County’s Parks and Recreation Division and began working in the Tildenville community south of West Colonial Drive. He met students from Tildenville — and later SunRidge — elementary schools at a nearby county park in the afternoons for homework help and pick-up games. He did this for years, making connections, forming bonds and building trust.

“If you walk in that neighborhood today and ask about Coach Anthony, they’ll still know about me,” Bradley said. “I was unofficially the mayor of Tildenville.”

Although the after-school program ended at the park around 2017, Bradley still makes frequent visits to the neighborhood.

“We still take care of the park; I still ride around and check on the park,” he said. “The kids, they’re still around — as adults now. They come up to me. And the parents and grandparents are still in the neighborhood, too.”

This is Bradley’s second year at Maxey Elementary School, where he was hired as a tutor but fills many more roles throughout the day, including cafeteria monitor, classroom checker and sounding board.

“If a kid is having a bad day, just call Coach Anthony,” he said. “If a kid’s acting up, just bring him to Coach Anthony. I’ll talk to him.”

After the school day, Bradley heads over to the West Orange Recreation Center, where he has run the Jr. Magic basketball program since 2012. Open gym time is from 2 to 6 p.m., and 90% of the students who come want to play ball.

Saturdays are game days, and many of the community children stop in to play or watch a few games. Some simply like having a place to hang out and someone to talk to.

His motto is "I don't work to change people's opinions of me, I work to change children's lives," and he has done just that.

“I actually use the game of basketball to teach life skills today,” Bradley said. “I use it (as) a way of waking up in the morning and knowing you have something to do that day. Let’s get it done — there’s going to be a struggle, but you can win. You don’t have to be first to win. … Most of the kids I deal with, they’re not going to college. But I teach, ‘You’re in America, you can accomplish anything you want.’

“I deal with a lot of kids who use excuses,” he said. “No excuses; everybody has obstacles. I don’t care how much money you have, what color you are. You’re either going to shrink or step up. But most of the kids, the people they surround themselves around they’re going to shrink.”

He sends positive messages to the students in hopes they will emulate that attitude.

“One thing they know,” he said. “I will never lie to you. I will tell you the truth. If you ask me how I feel about something, I’ll tell the truth. Some of them think they need to lie their way through life.”

25-YEAR ACHIEVEMENT

Bradley received a plaque and $200 from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings for his 25 years of service to the community. He said he is grateful for the recognition, but the children are the most important part of his job.

“It’s about these kids,” Bradley said. “It’s OK, and I earned that, but I wouldn’t have earned it if it wasn’t for the caring for these kids. … I’m 64 years old; I could have retired a long time ago, but this isn’t a job (to) me.”

He has set his retirement date several times, but every time he reaches that date, he ignores it and keeps doing what he’s doing for the community and its children.

PAYING IT FORWARD

Bradley’s office at the West Orange Recreation Center not only has the whiteboard full of affirmations, but a desk with multiple awards, a wall of certificates and bulletin boards that chronicle his importance in the lives of many of the area’s youth.

Former students keep in touch with Coach Anthony, sending him notes and updated photos, graduation announcements and business cards. One young man who went through the Jr. Magic program now is campaigning to be a judge. Another former program attendee works for a successful stock company. Yet another is a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps.

“I always tell these guys, if you go and do well, I’m going to call you and ask you to pay for these kids to play,” Bradley said. “One young man calls me about once a month and says, ‘Thanks, Coach.’ He just paid for three kids to play.”