Irish Blessing: Bills TE Learns from Tragedy

By: Mark Ludwiczak, buffalobills.com
(06/15/2005)

A tragedy that took the life of one of Brad Cieslak's best friends serves as motivation and a source of strength in the tight end's quest to make it in the NFL.

If a picture says a thousand words, then the image on Brad Cieslak's massive left arm could read like a novel. But it's not because it is flashy or self-promoting like other athletes' tattoos. Instead, it serves as a reminder; a reminder of a friend and the unfortunate events that took place in Chicago nearly two years ago.

"It helps me keep focus," Cieslak said of the large green shamrock tattoo placed above his elbow. "I was 10 seconds away from being on the porch."

The porch Cieslak is referring to was on the third floor of an old apartment building in Lincoln Park. The former Northern Illinois tight end was attending a party there on the night of June 29, 2003, with two of his friends, teammates Shea Fitzgerald and Pat Raleigh.

Shortly after midnight, Cieslak decided to head inside for a drink after talking with some of the other partygoers on the wooden porch of the apartment. Fitzgerald stayed outside.

A few seconds later, the porch collapsed to the ground.

"It was horrific," Cieslak said.

Panic ensued, and both Cieslak and Raleigh tried to help as many people to safety as they possibly could.

"We just ran down there," Cieslak said. "There were probably 10-15 of us guys just pulling boards and grabbing arms and trying to pull people out of there. It was devastating."

The two were able to rescue many out of the wreck, but they weren't able to find their teammate. Fitzgerald was one of 12 people killed that evening. Fifty-seven others were injured. The disaster became a national news story.

It wasn't easy for the members of the Huskie football team to deal with Fitzgerald's untimely death. The 6-foot-7, 300-pound starting offensive tackle was close with many of his teammates, but maybe none more so than Cieslak.

"He wasn't working that summer and I wasn't working either, so we were hanging out all day long," Cieslak said.

Making matters worse was the fact that this was not the first tragedy to hit close to home for the young tight end. Just a few months earlier during the team's winter practices, 19-year-old freshman Jawan Jackson collapsed and died while taking part in a drill. They later found out it was due to a heart problem.

And even more recently, the girlfriend of one of Cieslak's best friends was killed in an automobile accident.

Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak was faced with the monumental task of trying to keep his team focused and help it deal with the loss of Fitzgerald. It wasn't easy.

"When you lose somebody like him, especially as suddenly as that was, it was really a shock to our whole team," Novak said.

So the coach asked his players how they wanted to honor their former teammate. They enshrined his locker in a glass case and put Fitzgerald's uniform inside. They had a car wash in which they raised more than $5,000 for Fitzgerald's family. And they didn't use their teammate's death as a cliché reason to 'will their team to victory.'

"We tried to do as much as we could to keep his name in honor in front of us without using it in an overused way," Novak said. "It wasn't, 'Go out and win one for Shea.' I told the kids, 'I want you to try to be him because he was a real hard-working kid that really loved to play. I want you to try to emulate him, rather than a 'Go out and win one for the Gipper' type thing.' "

Cieslak thought the approach was the perfect way to pay their respects.

"It was the best way to take it," Cieslak said. "Play how Shea would want you to play, not for him. By playing the way he would want to play, you can really give him a lot more than just trying to win a football game for him."

Today the tight end finds himself fighting for a roster spot with the Buffalo Bills. As an undrafted free agent, he knows he doesn't have the easiest path for success in the NFL. But he hopes that his strong work ethic will increase his chances of making the team (and it doesn't hurt that the Buffalo's top two tight ends are recovering from season-ending injuries).

In fact, a description of Cieslak's play may sound relatively familiar to some - especially Bills head coach Mike Mularkey, who made a living as a player in the NFL for nine years as a hard-working, blue-collar tight end.

"He's a well-rounded kid," Novak said. "He'll block you, and while he's not a gazelle - he's not going to run downfield and 'wow' people - he can run routes and catch the ball well. … He's a hard working, hard-nosed tough guy who's probably maximized his abilities through his efforts, commitment, and the importance of the game to him."

However, there's not a day that goes by where Cieslak isn't reminded of his old friend.

"Shea was one of the best people I've ever known, just an all-around great guy," Cieslak said. "The images that I have from that night will haunt me probably for the rest of my life. But you learn a lot from it. You learn to take every moment you've got and every chance you've got to the fullest."

And if he ever forgets, Cieslak can always look to his left arm for inspiration. Inside the Celtic design - Fitzgerald was Irish - are Shea's initials, and underneath, the Roman numerals for the years 1983-2003. The tattoo acts as a remembrance of Fitzgerald's life. Cieslak got it shortly after his teammate died.

"You really realize, 'Hey, I'm lucky to be here,' Cieslak said. "Now I've got to make the best of every situation I get.' "

He hopes he can do just that in his opportunity with the Bills. But whether he makes it in the NFL or not, he's not hoping to do so just for Fitzgerald. He's going to try to be like him too.