Ronnie Bradford joined the Miami Dolphins as a senior special teams assistant in 2024.

Ronnie Bradford joined the Miami Dolphins as a senior special teams assistant in 2024.

The 2024 season marks his 19th as a coach, including eight in the NFL, following a 10-year playing career.

Prior to joining the Dolphins, Bradford spent three seasons (2021-23) at Montana, where he served as assistant head coach/cornerbacks from 2021-22 and was promoted to defensive coordinator/safeties in 2023. The Grizzlies made the FCS playoffs in all three of Bradford's seasons, including a trip to the FCS National Championship Game in 2023.

In 2023, Bradford helped the Grizzlies go 13-2 and finish the season as the national runner-up. Four players on Bradford's defense earned first-team All-Big Sky honors – defensive lineman Alex Gubner, linebacker Braxton Hill, defensive back Corbin Walker and defensive back Trevin Gradney. Gubner earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. Montana's defense led the Big Sky Conference and ranked third nationally in FCS in scoring defense (14.5).

As assistant head coach/cornerbacks at Montana from 2021-22, Bradford developed cornerback Justin Ford, who transferred to Montana in 2021. Bradford helped Ford become a unanimous first-team FCS All-American and the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year in 2021 after he led all NCAA divisions with nine interceptions and three defensive touchdowns. Ford also earned first-team All-Big Sky honors in 2022.

Bradford spent three seasons (2016-18) at Southern California coaching the secondary.

In 2018, Bradford coached three players who went on to become NFL draft picks in cornerback Iman Marshall, safety Marvell Tell III and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Marshall was a fourth-round pick (127th overall) by Baltimore in the 2019 NFL Draft and Tell was picked in the fifth round (144th overall) by Indianapolis in the same draft. Hufanga was a fifth-round pick (180th overall) by San Francisco in the 2021 NFL Draft and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2022.

The Trojans led the nation in sacks (46) and won the Pac-12 after going 11-3 in 2017. USC's 16 interceptions ranked 19th nationally and 13 of them came from defensive backs. Tell earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors.

Bradford coached the Jim Thorpe Award winner in 2016 in cornerback Adoree' Jackson. He also was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus first-team All-American. Jackson was the 18th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by Tennessee. Safety Leon McQuay was also drafted, as he was selected in the sixth round (218th overall) by Kansas City. The Trojans won the Rose Bowl that season, finishing 10-3 and ranked No. 3 in the final AP poll.

Bradford was the defensive backs/special teams coordinator at Louisiana Tech from 2013-15. During that time, the Bulldogs blocked eight kicks. In 2015, Louisiana Tech blocked four kicks, which tied for seventh in FBS. The team had three blocked kicks in 2014 and ranked eighth in opposing punt return average (3.14) in 2013. The Bulldogs won bowl games in 2014 and 2015.

While at Louisiana Tech, Bradford coached safety Xavier Woods during his first three collegiate seasons. Woods earned first-team All-Conference USA honors in 2014 and 2015 and was a sixth-round pick (191st overall) by Dallas in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Bradford coached safeties at Memphis in 2011 and was a defensive administrative assistant at California in 2010.

Following his playing career, Bradford spent seven seasons as an NFL assistant coach – six with Denver (2003-08) in a variety of roles and one as defensive assistant in Kansas City (2009).

Bradford began his coaching career as a special teams assistant in Denver in 2003 before being promoted to special teams coach in 2004. In 2007, he moved to assistant defensive backs coach and was promoted to defensive backs coach in 2008.

From 2003-06, while Bradford coached special teams, kicker Jason Elam ranked third in the NFL in points (479) and field goals made (107). From 2007-08, he worked with cornerback Champ Bailey, who earned Pro Bowl selections both years, was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2007 and went on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bradford played 10 NFL seasons as a defensive back with Denver (1993-95), Arizona (1996), Atlanta (1997-2001) and Minnesota (2002). He originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick (105th overall) by Miami in the 1993 NFL Draft. Bradford played in 133 career games with 99 starts, totaling 419 tackles (347 solo), 2.0 sacks, 13 interceptions, 64 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He also appeared in three playoff games with one start. Bradford intercepted a pass from Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway in the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXIII as a member of the Falcons.

Bradford played cornerback at Colorado, where he was a four-year letterman (1989-92) and two-year starter. He earned first-team All-Big 8 honors as a senior in 1992. As a sophomore, he was part of Colorado's 1990 national championship team and blocked a PAT attempt in the final minutes of the Orange Bowl to preserve Colorado's final victory that season.

A Commerce City, Colorado native, Bradford has three children, Tony, Kaylee and Justin. He graduated from Colorado with a bachelor's degree in communication.