The passion for improvement is a Papis passion

The Renaissance Coliseum has a side rarely seen, but when you enter the basement, you enter the world of the Bradley athletes.

Here we find Eddie Papis. He is a member of multiple Bradley sports teams. He doesn’t have a jersey number. He doesn’t even appear on the player rosters. His role for Bradley, however, is still a big factor in the team’s success.

Papis is Bradley’s head coach of sports performance. His job focuses on strength development for athletes, educating them on nutrition and reducing their risk of injury. Helping others and watching athletes grow is the root of Papis’ passion for the job.

“It’s very easy to come to work every day,” Papis said. “My challenge to make people better motivates me because I got to be on my game … I’m other people’s motivation … which makes me have to wake up every day enjoying [work].”

Although Papis is only in his second year as head coach, he is no stranger to the Bradley community. He grew up in the Peoria area as a fan of Bradley athletics. He coached at Peoria Notre Dame High School for the girls’ basketball team, the baseball team, and previously worked at Bradley from 2004 to 2010 serving as the assistant strength coach. During this stint, Bradley basketball had its historic 2006 NCAA tournament run to the Sweet 16.

For Papis, Bradley is a personal environment.

“I know what Bradley basketball means. I know what Bradley Athletics means. I know how many local athletes we have here. I know its importance, so it drives me as well because it’s my hometown,” Papis said.

After leaving Bradley in 2010, Papis worked at Hopedale Medical Complex as the director of the Wellness center, Cardiac Rehabilitation and Sports Performance. He returned to Bradley when the opportunity arose for the position of head coach of sports performance.

“Me and [head coach Brian] Wardle see eye to eye on a lot of things so that made [taking the position] very easy,” Papis said.

Papis is currently working with the men’s basketball team throughout their season. He works closely with the basketball staff and coordinates pre-workout and pre-game meals, putting together spreads of bananas, strawberries, yogurt and granola.

“The basketball dudes are pretty lean … It’s important that they’re eating those meals even if they’re not hungry,” Papis said.

This year, the men’s basketball team has had its highest win total since 2010, coincidently the year Papis left. With all the winning energy surging through the athletic department, Papis looks to enhance all programs performance and Bradley fans’ hopes.

“I would like to see all our teams achieve conference titles, individual titles and new records set and reduce injury and time out from injury,” Papis said. “If you’re a Bradley fan, you should be optimistic on the route we’re going right now, the movement is up for sure.”