Bruce Gradkowski

Bruce Raymond Gradkowski (born January 27, 1983) is a former American football quarterback and current offensive coordinator for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the United Football League (UFL).

He played college football at Toledo.

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, 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).

In high school, Gradkowski also played basketball, serving as Seton-La Salle's starting point guard and leading his team in scoring.

Gradkowski is a 2001 graduate from Seton-La Salle Catholic High School.

After redshirting as a freshman at Toledo in 2001, Gradkowski only saw action as the field goal holder on the special teams unit.

In 2003, he became the starting quarterback as a sophomore and set a Mid-American Conference 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.

He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round (194th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Gradkowski was also a member of the St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

His younger brother, Gino, is a former NFL center.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Gradkowski in the sixth round (194th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft.

After a promising preseason he was nicknamed "The Great Gradkowski".

When starting quarterback Chris Simms suffered a ruptured spleen, Gradkowski was named the starter going into Week 5 against New Orleans.

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 and Philadelphia Eagles before losing three straight to the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.

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.

On Thanksgiving, the Buccaneers would lose to the Dallas Cowboys 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.

His play would continue to decline with losses against the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears 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.

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 by the Buccaneers.

Gradkowski was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Rams in June 2008, but was waived during final cuts on August 30, 2008.

Gradkowski was signed by the Cleveland Browns as their fourth-string quarterback on December 2, 2008, after quarterback Derek Anderson was placed on injured reserve.

He was the starter for the Browns' 2008 season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 28, 2008, after injuries to Anderson, Brady Quinn, and Ken Dorsey.

Gradkowski was waived on February 9, 2009.

A day after being waived by the Browns, Gradkowski was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders.