Rus Bradburd attended Chicago Public Schools for eleven years before graduating from North Park College. At age 22, he became the youngest head coach in the history of the Chicago Public League at Von Steuben High School. After coaching basketball for fourteen seasons at University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) and New Mexico State University, Rus left the game to complete an MFA degree and pursue a life in writing. He is now an associate professor in New Mexico State’s MFA program. While basketball informs his writing, it has never been his primary subject. Rather, his books focus on the intersections of sport, social justice, and race. Rus has remained connected to basketball through his acclaimed Basketball in the Barrio summer program in El Paso, as well as serving as New Mexico State University’s television “color analyst” for their home basketball games. He is an accomplished fiddle player and teacher of writing. He lives in Chicago and New Mexico.
Rus Bradburd 