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Bradley Celebrates 125 Years!

Take a look at some of the important dates and events in the university's history.

1897

Funded by Lydia Moss Bradley, Bradley Polytechnic Institue opens its doors Oct. 4.

1918

Camp Bradley trains soldiers fighting in World War I; Horology (now Westlake) Hall used to teach instrument repair and lens grinding.

1920

BPI initiated a four-year colleges curriculum.

1940

The Braves' football team has its first undefeated season in 14 years. The sport would be a part of Bradley's campus until 1970.

1946

Bradley Polytechnic Institues becomes Bradley University.

1947

Romeo B. Garrett earns one of the first master's degrees offered; he later becomes Bradley's first Black professor.

1949

Robertson Memorial Field House dedicated Dec. 17.

1956

Men's baseball reaches the Final Four of the College World Series.

1957

Braves' basketball wins its first season-ending tournament. Bradley won again in 1960, 1964 and 1982.

1961

The School of Horology closes after nearly 65 years and more than 11,000 graduates.

1963

Bradley Hall suffers a catastrophic fire on a freezing January night.

1964

Jazz legend Louis Armstrong regaled music lovers with a Founder's Day performance; part of the celebration for the newly rebuilt Bradley Hall.

1974

Women's volleyball plays its first game, thanks to the passage of Title IX in 1972.

1980

The speech team wins its first national championship, leading to a dynasty that spans to the present.

1980

Ribbon cutting for the Romeo B. Garrett Cultural Center.

1999

Caterpillar Inc.'s support of Bradley's Centennial Campaign (which raised $100 million) resulted in the Caterpillar Global Communications Center (dedicated in 1996).

2006

Men's basketball team becomes the darling of March Madness and reaches the Sweet Sixteen.

2008

Dedication of the Markin Family Student Recreation Center.

2010

Westlake Hall begins a massive, two-year renovation project.

2010

Renaissance Coliseum dedicated Oct. 15.

2012

Bradley opened the Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, one of the nation's first freestanding academic institutions for this field.

2014

Kaboom! becomes Bradley's mascot.

2019

Bradley dedicates the $100 million-plus Business and Engineering Convergence Center.