Justin Strzelczyk

Like many people who are interested in sports, Justin Strzelczyk competed in athletics throughout the year, playing basketball, hockey and football.

While attending West Seneca West High School, he was a standout on the basketball court. He averaged 21 points per game as a junior, and 22 points per game as a senior for West and earned All WNY honors.

Even with his success in high school on the hardwood, he opted to play football in college and attended the University of Maine. During his time at Maine, the Black Bears captured two Yankee Conference titles, and he was recognized with All-American honors.

In 1990, Strzelczyk played in the East-West Shrine game where he caught the eye of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll. The Steelers drafted Strzelczyk in the 11th round. A versatile lineman, he played 133 NFL games for the Steelers, playing every position on the offensive line, except for center. He was a key contributor on the Steelers 1995 AFC Championship team and appeared in Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys.

After he was sidelined due to a series of injuries, Strzelczyk retired following the 1998 season.

Strzelczyk died in a car crash in 2004, and autopsy reports revealed he suffered from CTE, a progressive degenerative brain disease. Because Strzelczyk was one of the earliest prominent NFL players diagnosed with the condition, his tragic case played a significant role in sparking wider medical and public debates surrounding the long-term dangers of repetitive head trauma in football.

Strzelczyk was posthumously inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.