BLOOMINGTON — Former Indiana basketball team physician Dr. Bradford Bomba Sr. has died at 89.
A longtime family friend confirmed his death to The Herald-Times on Friday afternoon. Bomba entered hospice in recent months while battling various serious health conditions.
Bomba had a private practice in the area for decades — in retirement he continued to treat patients at a free local clinic — while working as a contracted physician for Indiana University Athletics for much of that time. He served as team physician for all IU teams from 1963 to 1970 and the men’s basketball team for nearly three decades.
The IU grad earned All-Big Ten honors in football at the school and was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame (2007) and the IU Athletics Hall of Fame (2017). He is also a member of the Marion and Monroe County Halls of Fame.
Bomba’s grandson James, a former Bloomington South standout who is currently a member of the IU football team, posted about his grandfather’s passing Friday afternoon on Facebook.
“His presence felt larger than life,” James Bomba wrote. “Filling every room with warmth and wisdom. Even though he is no longer physically with us, his spirit will live on in all the lives that he impacted. Rest in peace, Grandpa.”
His tenure as Indiana basketball’s team physician has become the subject of a federal class action lawsuit filed against the school by former players including Haris Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller, alleging he performed “medically unnecessary” prostate examinations during their annual physicals.
The university hired Jones Day, a prominent international law firm, to conduct an independent investigation into Bomba’s alleged conduct in September. In a 874-page report released May 1, the law firm concluded that Bomba didn’t act in “bad faith” or “improper purpose.”
Jones Day interviewed close to 100 people, including multiple student-athletes from each decade that Bomba served as team physician, and reviewed more than 100,000 documents spanning six decades, as well as 10,000 emails during the course of its investigation.
According to the report, a “significant majority” of former basketball players and staff expressed support for Bomba.
“Numerous callers, including physicians in the community and former student athletes, felt the allegations against him were a shame or travesty,” the report states. “Many, including those who received DREs during their physicals, described Dr. Bomba in admirable terms and clearly hold him in high regard. They felt his care was professional, thorough, and appropriate.”
Bomba is survived by his six children, Brad Jr. (Angee), Elizabeth, Joseph, Chris (Wendy), Matt (Kelly), Eric (Angie), and many grandchildren.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Dr. Brad Bomba Sr., longtime Indiana Athletics physician and IU football player, died
Reporting by Michael Niziolek, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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