Bruce Raymond Gradkowski (born January 27, 1983) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...
and current offensive coordinator for the
St. Louis BattleHawks
The St. Louis BattleHawks are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...
at
Toledo. He was drafted by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
in the sixth round (194th overall) of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...
. Gradkowski was also a member of the
St. Louis Rams,
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...
,
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...
,
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
, and
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. His younger brother,
Gino, is a former NFL center.
Early years
Gradkowski is a 2001 graduate from
Seton-La Salle Catholic High School
Seton LaSalle Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.
In 2016, under the direction of former ...
. He played as a member of the Seton-La Salle Rebels from 1997 to 2000 in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (
WPIAL). As a
junior, Gradkowski threw for 1,630 yards and 10 touchdowns. This performance was then improved as a
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
, when he completed 188-of-327 passes (57.5%) and threw for a then-
WPIAL record of 2,978 yards and 30 touchdowns (surpassing the previous mark set by
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and b ...
). In high school, Gradkowski also played
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, serving as Seton-La Salle's starting
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...
and leading his team in scoring.
College career
After
redshirting as a freshman at
Toledo in 2001, Gradkowski only saw action as the
field goal
A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
holder on the special teams unit. In 2003, he became the starting quarterback as a sophomore and set a
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the t ...
season record by completing 71.2% of his passes. He threw for 3,210 yards and set a school season record of 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Gradkowski's final passer rating was 161.53. He proved he could scramble by rushing for 504 yards and one touchdown on 91 carries (5.5 avg). In 2004, Gradkowski completed 70.2% of his passes for 3,518 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions and a final passer rating of 162.56. He played in the
GMAC Bowl and was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP). As a senior in 2005, Gradkowski completed 62.3% of his passes for 2,469 yards with 29 touchdowns and twelve interceptions and a final passer rating of 146.42. Gradkowski was the first quarterback in NCAA Division I-A history to complete more than 70 percent of his passes in consecutive seasons.
College statistics
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
drafted Gradkowski in the sixth round (194th overall) of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...
.
After a promising preseason he was nicknamed "The Great Gradkowski". When starting quarterback
Chris Simms
Christopher David Simms (born August 29, 1980) is an American sports analyst and former football player. He was a quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of t ...
suffered a
ruptured spleen, Gradkowski was named the starter going into Week 5 against
. In his debut, he completed 20 of 31 attempts for 225 yards with two touchdowns as the Buccaneers suffered their fourth consecutive loss.
Gradkowski remained the starter after his first loss and won the next two games against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
and
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
before losing three straight to the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
,
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
and
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
. On November 19, 2006, he completed 14 of 21 attempts for 178 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a 20–17 victory over the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...
.
On
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
, the Buccaneers would lose to the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
after Gradkowski threw two interceptions and only completed 10 passes. He continued to falter the following week throwing three interceptions in a loss to his hometown
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. His play would continue to decline with losses against the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...
and
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...
and he was benched in the middle of both games. Gradkowski was replaced in the second quarter against Chicago by
Tim Rattay, who threw for four touchdowns in the second half of the game. Gradkowski, by contrast, had not thrown a touchdown in the previous 10 quarters before being pulled and would not start again in 2006. He finished his rookie season with 1,661 passing yards on 177 completions in 328 pass attempts, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
In 2007 during a Week 12 matchup against the Washington Redskins, Gradkowski came in after the first play because of an injury to newly acquired starting quarterback
Jeff Garcia but only completed 9 of 19 passes and didn't score. Gradkowski was benched the next week in favor of
Luke McCown
Lucas Patrick McCown (born July 12, 1981) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. He was drafte ...
.
Gradkowski had a record of 3–8 as a Tampa Bay starter and set an NFL record by throwing 200 passes between his first and second interceptions.
On May 30, 2008, Gradkowski was
waived
A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege.
Regulatory agencies of state departments or the federal government may issue waivers to exempt companies from certain regulations. For example, a United St ...
by the Buccaneers.
St. Louis Rams
Gradkowski was claimed off waivers by the
St. Louis Rams in June 2008, but was waived during final cuts on August 30, 2008.
Cleveland Browns
Gradkowski was signed by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...
as their
fourth-string quarterback on December 2, 2008 after
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...
Derek Anderson was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
. He was the starter for the Browns'
2008 season finale against the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
on December 28, 2008, after injuries to Anderson,
Brady Quinn, and
Ken Dorsey. Gradkowski was waived on February 9, 2009.
Oakland Raiders
![Bruce Gradkowski (2010)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Bruce_Gradkowski_%282010%29.jpg)
A day after being waived by the Browns, Gradkowski was claimed off waivers by the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...
.
On November 22, 2009, in his first start for the Raiders, Gradkowski threw two touchdowns, matching former Raiders quarterback
JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell (born August 9, 1985) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Oakland Raiders. Highly successful at LSU, where he was MVP of the 2007 Sugar ...
's total for the season to that point, and led the team to come from behind 20–17 victory over the heavily favored Cincinnati Bengals.
In Week 13, on the road the Raiders beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–24. Gradkowski completed 20-of-33 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns, including an 11-yard game-winning touchdown to
Louis Murphy
Louis Morris Murphy Jr. (born May 11, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football for the University of Florida, where he was a member of two BCS National Championship teams. The Oakland Raiders drafted him in ...
. For his performance in this game he was awarded the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for week 13 of the regular season.
On December 13, 2009, he was injured in a game against the Washington Redskins during the second quarter and was replaced by Russell. The Raiders lost the game 34–13 without Gradowski. Gradkowski missed the remainder of the 2009 season with a partially torn
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament (MCL), or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. Its primary function is to resist outwar ...
s in both knees.
On March 15, 2010, he was re-signed by the Oakland Raiders for one year. He tore a
pectoral muscle
Pectoral muscles (colloquially referred to as "pecs") are the muscles that connect the front of the human chest with the bones of the upper arm and shoulder. This region contains four muscles that provide movements to the upper limbs or ribs.
Pe ...
while lifting weights in April 2010. In Week 2 of the 2010 NFL season he took over for benched starter
Jason Campbell
Jason S. Campbell (born December 31, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college footbal ...
and lead the Raiders to a victory over the
St. Louis Rams.
On September 22, 2010, Gradkowski became the Oakland Raiders starting quarterback for Week 3. On November 28, 2010, Gradkowski suffered a third-degree
separation of his throwing shoulder. On December 2, the Raiders placed Gradkowski on injured reserve, ending his
2010 season.
Cincinnati Bengals
Following the
2011 NFL lockout, Gradkowski signed a two-year contract with the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
. He was the team's second-string quarterback behind
Andy Dalton. After Dalton suffered a minor injury that removed him from the game, Gradkowski threw a touchdown while snapping the ball while the Browns were still in the
huddle. He then appeared during a Week 13 match up against the Pittsburgh Steelers, completing 3-of-6 passes for 17 yards with one
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...
.
Pittsburgh Steelers
![Bruce Gradkowski 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Bruce_Gradkowski_2013.jpg)
On March 13, 2013, Gradkowski signed a three-year deal with his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ultimately, Gradkowski had very few career snaps with the Steelers. He played in none of the regular season games during
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
. In
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, he played in one game. He missed almost the entire
2015 season due to hand and shoulder injuries.
[Chester, Simon A. (October 7, 2016 ]
The Steelers re-signed Gradkowski to a one-year contract on May 2, 2016. On August 31, 2016, Gradkowski was placed on the injured reserve list following damage to his
hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrupeds, ...
sustained during the opening game of the preseason.
The Steelers released Gradkowski on October 7, 2016.
NFL career statistics
Coaching Career
In 2017, Gradkowski became a volunteer assistant quarterbacks coach at
Anthony Wayne High School in
Whitehouse, Ohio
Whitehouse is a village within the Toledo Metropolitan Area in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,149 at the 2010 census.
History
The area now known as the Village of Whitehouse was originally occupied by various Native Ame ...
.
On June 15, 2021, it was reported he would be the head coach at
St. Francis de Sales School (Toledo, Ohio)
St. Francis de Sales School or SFS is a private, Single-sex education, all-male, college-preparatory school in Toledo, Ohio. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo. The school was named as one of the top 20 Roman Catholic, Catho ...
. After serving as interim coach for one football season (2021) at St. Francis de Sales School, Bruce permanently became the head football coach at St. Francis de Sales for the 2022 season.
Gradkowski was officially hired by the
St. Louis BattleHawks
The St. Louis BattleHawks are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha ...
on September 13, 2022 as their Offensive Coordinator.
Personal life
Gradkowski is the owner of Social Gastropub in
Perrysburg, Ohio
Perrysburg is a city located in Wood County, Ohio, Wood County, Ohio, United States, along the south side of the Maumee River. The population was 25,041 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Part of the Toledo metropolitan area, the city i ...
.
Gradkowski joined the University of Toledo's Rocket Football Radio Network as a
color analyst
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...
.
References
External links
*
Profile at NFL.comPittsburgh Steelers profile
Oakland Raiders profile
Cincinnati Bengals profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gradkowski, Bruce
1983 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
American radio sports announcers
College football announcers
Cincinnati Bengals players
Cleveland Browns players
Oakland Raiders players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
St. Louis Rams players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Toledo Rockets football players
High school football coaches in Ohio
Sportspeople from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from Pittsburgh
American people of Italian descent
American people of Polish descent