St. Francis introduces Gradkowski as football coach

Jun. 16—There is still the matter of execution on the field, and the unknown of how well he will transition to being a head high school football coach.

But, on the surface, it appears former University of Toledo star and NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski is a home run hire for St. Francis de Sales. He was introduced at a press conference at St. Francis on Wednesday.

Considering the jam they were in with the recent exit of four-year coach Dan Chipka — who has accepted a position as a college assistant at NCAA Division II Wingate University in North Carolina — St. Francis athletic director Justin Edgell and school president Fr. Geoffrey Rose may have struck gold with the record-setting former Rockets passer.

No. 1, Gradkowski brings instant credibility to the Knights' program, which operates in a highly competitive local football environment. His presence, if it extends beyond his current label as interim head coach, should serve well to attract talented student-athletes coming up from the junior-high level.

Second, Gradkowski brings high-level knowledge of the game, which promises to add an innovative element to the Knights' scheming, especially on offense.

Third, just as Chipka was well known for the intensity and energy he brought to the practice field and to the sideline on game nights, Gradkowski possesses the same potential to inspire maximum effort and focus from his future players.

"It's great to have somebody very qualified in the building," said Knights rising senior Tim Zale, a linebacker in the program. "He brings a lot of energy and really ramps us all up. Just having a new guy in here, and somebody who brings a lot of enthusiasm, we're really excited to get to work with him. I can't wait to see what we can do with him."

That sentiment is prominent within the program.

"We're super excited to know we have an ex-NFL player to coach us," said running back Maurice Parker, who will be a junior this fall. "I knew who he was. With us playing games at UT, and me going to the games there growing up, I've seen he had the banner up there. That was kind of cool.

"It feels like everything's going to change — like our offense is going to change. With him being who he is, and the connections he has, we're excited about that."

Where Gradkowski's arrival also matters is that it helps lessen the disappointment of the departure of a popular leader.

"Coach [Chipka] told us he was leaving when we were lifting," Parker said, "He called us in, and we thought he was going to show us some film or something, and he just got straight to the news and told us he was leaving. A lot of the players were down, especially like the seniors who had been here the whole way with him. A lot of players had a bond with Coach Chip."

Added Zale: "I can't wait to see what we can do with our playbook, and what we can do differently to bring some enthusiasm and a lot of energy to the season. We're very happy to have him in here, somebody of that caliber in the building."

As for Gradkowski, he presents the vibe of a man who has found the right place at the right time.

"It's surreal in a sense," Gradkowski said. "I couldn't be more thankful for how this worked out. I went to a high school just like this in Pittsburgh — Seton-LaSalle — so it reminds me a lot of when I grew up, and how I grew up. It's cool how this worked out."

Gradkowski serves as an analyst for Pro Football Focus and NFL Radio.

But a coaching opportunity was too good to pass up.

"I miss the locker room," he said. "I miss the kids. I miss helping. I miss teaching, and being there to support them. I couldn't be more excited and happy to be here for the kids. I love football, but it's the off-the-field stuff. It's the situations we're going to go through, the adversity we're going to hit."

Gradkowski acknowledged a portion of the adversity welcomes him at the door as he begins with just a brief period to get to know his players, and assemble a staff of assistants, before preseason practice starts in about six weeks.

"We're sitting here today in middle of June and just talking about [hiring] a head coach," Gradkowski said. "We have some challenges, but we had a great workout today. A lot of great kids that put in the work and had the right spirit and mentality to go to work with.

"That's what you look for. I told the guys today, 'You can't always control the event that happens to you, but you can always control your response.' That's something I've always believed in, and we're going to be a group that focuses on things we can control. That's our attitude, our effort, and our preparation. That's what we can control, and we're going to have fun with it, on and off the field. We're going to do it the right way."

It may be late, but the time was right for the former UT star.

"Things for me, since I've retired, have kind of calmed down," said Gradkowski, who has three children with wife Miranda. "I think this is the right opportunity to add this to my plate, and have the availability for the kids, and the time commitment that it's going to take. I'm very fortunate with the companies that I work with and for, that they're open for this. It's football. That's what I do. So, I'm excited."

While Gradkowski has hit the ground running with St. Francis players in the process of offseason conditioning and weight training, his other primary focus is assembling a staff quickly.

"I've talked to a bunch over the past two days, and I'm trying to narrow that down," he said. "You want to get the right guys in here that have the right spirit and mentality to go to work, those who want to do it for the kids, and that have the availability. Looking back at my high school coaches, those are the guys you look up to the most. We'll build the right staff. There's a lot of people in this building who are willing to help, and jump on, and be a part of it.

"I know [Raiders coach] Jon Gruden's busy right now, but he might get a text message to be my offensive coordinator. You never know."

Gradkowski also joked about asking his former UT coach, Tom Amstutz, to be his defensive coordinator in reply to a congratulatory text message he received from Amstutz.

All kidding aside, Gradkowski sees the quick transition as a coveted challenge.

"That's probably where I'm a little messed up in the head, because I enjoy these times," he said. "I enjoy adversity. I enjoy our backs being against the wall, understanding that we do have a time crunch.

"I told our kids today, 'Look man, it's going to be tough. We've got some work to do. But, let's put in the work. There's no substitute for putting in the work.' That's what we're going to try to do. We'll see where things go. We're going to face some challenges, but we're willing to put in the work and see where it leads us."

First Published June 16, 2021, 10:00am