Gerald Ostroski Jr. (born July 12, 1970) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Tulsa Golden Hurricane The Tulsa Golden Hurricane are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (or variously as TU or Tulsa). Before adopting the name Golden Hurricane in 1922, the Universit ...

College career

After a standout high school career at Owen J. Roberts High School, Jerry Ostroski played

The University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church, although it is now nondenominational, and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Go ...

, starting every game as a sophomore, junior, and senior. He was selected first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in 1991 after leading TU to a 10–2 season and victory in the Freedom Bowl. In 1999, Ostroski was named to Tulsa's All-Century Team. On October 27, 2018, Tulsa retired Ostroski’s No. 55 jersey.

Professional career

Ostroski was selected in the tenth round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Ostroski played 106 games (8 years) in the NFL, all with the Bills; he started 102 games at the center,

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

, and

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

positions. In his 7th year, 2000, the last of three under

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Wade Phillips Harold Wade Phillips (born June 21, 1947) is a former American football coach. He has served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Roughnecks and San Antonio Brahmas. He has also served as interim head coa ...

, when the Bills had an 8–8 won-lost record, Ostroski became their starting center, replacing Dusty Zeigler who went to play with the Giants, playing between left guard

Ruben Brown Ruben Parnell Brown (born February 13, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He was selected by the ...

and right guard

Jamie Nails Jamie Marcellus Nails (born June 3, 1977) is an American former professional football guard of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL draft. He played college football at ...

in all 16 games. However, in 2001, Bill Conaty became the center and Ostroski showed his versatility again and moved to right guard. After recovering from a broken leg in the 2001 preseason, he injured a knee late in the season versus 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. Ostroski won the

Ed Block Courage Award The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to a player from each team in the National Football League (NFL) who are voted for by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. Named in memory of Ed Block, a ...

in 2001. Due to his knee injury, Ostroski retired on August 27, 2002.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ostroski, Jerry 1970 births Living people American football offensive guards Tulsa Golden Hurricane football players Buffalo Bills players Players of American football from Pennsylvania