University of Delaware Athletics
Start of UFL Season Means Return to Professional Football for Gino Gradkowski
3/29/2024 3:00:00 PM | Football
NEWARK, Del. – The United Football League (UFL) opens its inaugural season this weekend as the new professional football league, considered a developmental league for the NFL, formed out of a merger between the USFL and XFL. The University of Delaware has five alums sprinkled throughout the league with four Blue Hens making final rosters as players and Gino Gradkowski on the coaching staff of the St. Louis Battlehawks.
Gradkowski, who serves as St. Louis' offensive line coach, will be making his professional coaching debut on Saturday. No stranger to professional football himself, Gradowski played six seasons in the NFL after being drafted out of UD in the fourth round of the 2012 draft by Baltimore. He was teammates with fellow Blue Hen Joe Flacco on the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII squad.
"I feel that everything that I've been through, playing experience and afterward, has prepared me for this opportunity," Gradkowski said. "Especially working in student success at Delaware. Just to be able to lead meetings, connect with younger athletes, be organized in my presentations and things like that. That stuff, my two years at Delaware has helped me tremendously. I was doing life skill stuff, team building, team culture stuff and that is all very relevant as a coach."
While his on-field position as an NFL center made him a natural leader, similar to a catcher in baseball, coaching was not on Gradkowski's radar. Instead, following his final season in the NFL in 2018, Gradkowski returned to Delaware to work in the athletic department where he eventually became the assistant director for student services leadership. In that role, he worked with UD's student-athletes to help prepare for life after their playing careers were over. Given his position, he was always around the football program and was often seen out at the practice fields. He eventually joined the coaching ranks as he joined the staff at Rowan University, spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons as the offensive line coach.
"It's satisfying that itch that I had since I finished playing. I never thought as a player that coaching would give me that satisfaction that playing did. It is just so fun to be a part of it. Spending some time with the football team at Delaware and then coaching at Rowan, I realized that just being around football was my passion, it wasn't necessarily just playing it. I'm very thankful for Coach Becht to give me this opportunity."
He isn't the only Gradkowski on the coaching staff as his older brother, Bruce, is St Louis' offensive coordinator. The elder Gradkowski played quarterback for nine seasons in the NFL, including overlapping for a brief stint with Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht in St. Louis in 2008. Gino Gradkowski visited his brother last year while he was coaching in the XFL and got to know Becht and the other members of the coaching staff. When the opening at offensive line came about, it didn't take much convincing from Bruce for Becht to give Gino a call.
It is a special time for the Gradkowski's as they have never been on the same sideline together due to the six-year age gap between the two of them. In fact, because of their football schedules, they haven't spent significant time in the same city in more than 20 years.
"We were in the same youth organization, but different age groups. We never got to play together in high school, never got to play together in college. We played against each other a few times in the NFL because we were in the same division for three years which was awesome because, growing up, we shared that dream. Football was our dream and we wanted to make it to the NFL and we got to face against each other on the NFL field which was really cool."
"This is a great chance for us to spend a lot of time together, work together and do something that we love together. It's been great so far."
Gradkowski's Battlehawks will open the season on Saturday afternoon against the Michigan Panthers which features fellow Blue Hen Kedrick Whitehead. Also playing this weekend will be Tenny Adewusi (Arlington), Nolan Henderson (Houston) and Vinny Papale (Memphis). Johnny Buchanan is on injured reserve with St. Louis and out for the season.
"I'm so proud when I see guys from Delaware. Even when I just see them on the roster or on the graphics UD puts out, it's so cool. It's great to see the growth of our athletic department as a whole, it's great to see the growth of our football program as a football alum. They are very high-character guys, which makes you even more proud that they are from Delaware and makes you want to root for them even more. I want to see these guys do well with this opportunity so hopefully they can get a bigger opportunity next fall in the NFL somewhere. That's what this is all about."
Delaware - USFL Week One Schedule
Saturday, March 30
Birmingham Stallions vs. Arlington Renegades (Adewusi) – 1 p.m. – FOX
St. Louis Battlehawks (Gradkowski) vs. Michigan Panthers (Whitehead) – 4 p.m. - FOX
Sunday, March 31
Memphis Showboats (Papale) vs. Houston Roughnecks (Henderson) – 3 p.m. ESPN
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