Finland: Defending champion Kuopio Steelers re-sign championship QB, Joey Bradley

The defending and two-time Finnish champion Kuopio Steelers have re-signed quarterback Joey Bradley for the 2022 season.

The 30-year-old, 6’1″, 190-pound Bradley from Seattle (Issaquah), Washington, led the Steelers to their second straight Maple League title in Finland, throwing for 1,542 yards and 13 touchdowns during the regular season. He added to that in the playoffs throwing for 292 yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs and championship game while rushing for 121.

Bradley started the season playing for the L’Hospitalet Pioners in Spain’s top league, leading the team to a 3-2 record before the coronavirus put a stop to the rest of the season. Then, when the Czech League of American Football decided on a fall season, he signed to play for the Vysocina Gladiators, leading them to an unbeaten regular season, throwing for 1,951 yards and 30 touchdowns in the eight games, while tossing only two interceptions. Unfortunately, a new lockdown prevented the playoffs and championship game from being played.

The Seattle native spent part of the 2016 season and the entire 2017 and 2018 seasons with Poland’s Gdynia Seahawks after guiding the Lisboa Devils to back-to-back Portuguese championship titles.  The Seahawks were runner ups in Poland in 2017 and reached the semifinals in 2018.  He had signed to play in Finland in 2019 but a difference of opinion with the head coach forced him to leave the team. He was nominated for the Harlon Hill award at the University of New Haven (Div. II) after throwing for 2,652 yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior year.