Former Ravens offensive lineman and Super Bowl XLVII champion Gino Gradkowski has rekindled his passion for football, taking on the role of offensive coordinator at Division III Rowan University in South Jersey.
Gradkowski, 35, was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Delaware. As a rookie, he served as the backup center and played a part in the Ravens’ journey to winning the Super Bowl. He played his last NFL season with the Denver Broncos in 2018.
Gradkowski never imagined he would become a key figure on the sidelines of any football game after retiring as a player.
“I wasn’t interested in coaching really at all as a player,” Gradkowski said on Glenn Clark Radio Sept. 5. “A lot of my teammates would always mess with me and call me ‘Coach Gino.’ I guess I had that coaching vibe as a player, but I never had any interest in coaching.”
Gradkowski stayed connected to the sport through a student-athlete development role at the University of Delaware.
“When I was there, after being away from playing for a few years I realized, ‘Man, I miss football so much,’ and I wanted to get back into it in some capacity,” Gradkowski said. “… I didn’t think as a player that I would get the same satisfaction from football as a coach, but I was wrong, man. I absolutely love it. It’s awesome to be part of the game.”
The former Super Bowl champion joined Rowan’s staff as the offensive line coach in 2022 and added the role of offensive coordinator this year. He is also the offensive line coach for the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks.
“I’ve always been passionate about helping younger athletes and trying to use my experiences for good to help other guys that are going through it now,” Gradkowski said.
Gradkowski’s playing career has given him a lot of valuable insight into the game of football, giving him a chance to assist the young talent he comes across as a coach. In Baltimore, Gradkoswki worked with line coaches Andy Moeller and Juan Castillo. Through these experiences, he learned a lot about the Ravens’ culture and understands the pressure the current Ravens are facing.
Gradkowski says the Ravens have all the right pieces to thrive no matter the challenge they are presented with throughout the 2024 NFL season. During their season-opening loss in Kansas City on Sept. 5, the Ravens were breaking in three new starters along the offensive line: Andrew Vorhees (left guard), Daniel Faalele (right guard) and Patrick Mekari (right tackle).
Though the Ravens have a young offensive line, Gradkowski is confident in the coaching staff’s ability to develop young players to their full potential.
“Their consistency speaks for itself,” Gradkowski said. “They’re always a contender in the AFC North … and there’s a good reason why. The culture that Coach Harbaugh builds there, the players, the talent that Eric [DeCosta] brings in, there’s a reason why they are so consistent.”
For more from Gradkowski, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Rowan University Athletics