Bradshaw Starts Classes at SUNY College at Brockport

Shaheim Bradshaw stayed within the Huntington wrestling family in choosing to attend SUNY College at Brockport, where he will be coached by Blue Devil wrestling alumnus Don Murray (’61).  Bradshaw, who finished second in the 2004 New York State tournament in Buffalo, is the rare type of athlete who can handle Murray’s intensity and commitment demands, according to Huntington’s coaches.

“We think Shaheim is perfect for the Brockport program,” Huntington coach Lou Giani said. “He’s a very hard worker and that’s a must when you wrestle for Murray.  He’ll chase you right out of the room if he detects any laziness in you.”  One thing Bradshaw never was accused of in the Blue Devil practice room was loafing. 

Bradshaw wrestled for Amityville as a freshman and then transferred to Huntington High School where he was a surprise winner of the league tournament as a sophomore.  He went on to place sixth in Section XI that year en route to a 15-14 mark.  As a junior, he enjoyed a superb season, compiling a 32-1 record but falling short in the Suffolk finals, losing to Bay Shore’s John Cummings, 4-2. 

As a senior Bradshaw took it a notch higher, winning the county title and losing a narrow decision in the state finals.  His 36-3 record brought his career total to 83-18.  Murray targeted Bradshaw for his team following last season, relying heavily on the evaluation provided by both Giani and assistant coach Travis Smith, himself a Brockport graduate.  The relentless recruiting paid off when Bradshaw committed to the school.

Brockport, located on the banks of the Erie Canal, has about 7,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students and sits 16 miles west of Rochester.  Murray holds the rank of associate professor in the Department of Physical Education and Sport.

“We think coach Murray will help Shaheim reach his academic and athletic goals,” Smith said.  “Bradshaw really wants a college degree and he also wants to be an All-American and Brockport is the place where he can accomplish both.” 

Murray is one of the top college coaches in the nation and is entering his 35^th season as head coach.  His Brockport teams have won five NCAA team championships, 27 individual titles and he boasts 118 All-Americans, making him one of just three wrestling coaches in college history to have more than 100 All-Americans.  Last year he again worked his magic, with six All-Americans, including 165 lb. NCAA champ Artie Weidler, who graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School.  Most importantly for the Huntington coaches when it comes to Bradshaw, Murray boasts a 90 percent graduation rate for his wrestlers.

“Murray’s a tough coach, no doubt about it,” Giani said.  “But, Shaheim is coming out of a very structured and demanding program here and is well prepared for anything that comes his way at Brockport.  We want him taken cared of in college and we want to make sure he graduates.  We think Don Murray’s long record shows he can get the job done.”

Bradshaw has expressed an interest in becoming a physical education teacher and coach.  Classes started at Brockport on Monday, August 30.