Dariusz Bladek
{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1994)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox Canadian Football League biography
| name = Dariusz Bladek
| image = 2024, 65, Dariusz Bladek.jpg
| image_upright = 1
| caption = Bladek with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2024
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|04|01}}
| birth_place = Clifton, New Jersey, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| team = Ottawa Redblacks
| number = 65
| status = Active
| import = no
| position1 = Offensive lineman
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 300
| college = Bethune-Cookman
| high_school = Poinciana High School
| CFLDraftedYear = 2017
| CFLDraftedRound = 2
| CFLDraftedPick = 11
| CFLDraftedTeam = Saskatchewan Roughriders
| playing_years1 = {{CFL Year|2017|2019}}
| playing_team1 = Saskatchewan Roughriders
| playing_years2 = {{CFL Year|2020|2023}}
| playing_team2 = Toronto Argonauts
| playing_years3 = {{CFL Year|2024}}–present
| playing_team3 = Ottawa Redblacks
| career_footnotes =
| career_highlights =
| CFLAllStar =
| CFLEastAllStar =
| CFL = dariusz-bladek/163156/
}}
Dariusz Bladek (born April 1, 1994) is a Canadian-American professional football offensive lineman for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a Grey Cup champion after winning with the Toronto Argonauts in 2022.
Early life
Bladek was born in Clifton, New Jersey, to his Canadian mother, Joyce, and Polish father, Bogdan.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/meet-the-roughriders-dariusz-bladek-1.4728672|title=Roughriders Dariusz Bladek became a proud Canadian thanks to football|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=June 29, 2018|access-date=April 9, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://bcuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/dariusz-bladek/1147|title=2015 Football Roster, Dariusz Bladek|publisher=Bethune-Cookman Wildcats|access-date=April 9, 2020}} He grew up in New Jersey and his family moved to Kissimmee, Florida, where he attended Poinciana High School.{{cite web|url=https://www.langleyadvancetimes.com/national-sports/2017-cfl-draft-ends-long-patient-wait-for-offensive-lineman-dariusz-bladek-2/|title=2017 CFL draft ends long, patient wait for offensive lineman Dariusz Bladek|publisher=Langley Advance Times|date=May 4, 2017|access-date=April 9, 2020}}
College career
Bladek played college football for the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats from 2012 to 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.argonauts.ca/2017/09/19/argos-ol-jamal-campbell-honoured-toronto-urban-hero-award/|title=Argos OL Jamal Campbell honoured with Toronto Urban Hero Award|publisher=Toronto Argonauts|date=September 19, 2017}}
Professional career
=Pre-draft=
After completing his third year of college eligibility in 2015, Bladek declared for the 2016 NFL draft. After going unselected, he attended mini-camp with the Baltimore Ravens, but was not signed to a contract. Through a conversation with the Calgary Stampeders, he learned that he could qualify as a National player because his mother was a Canadian citizen. Due to the length of time that was required to apply for a Canadian passport, he had to bypass the 2016 CFL Draft and was eligible for the 2017 CFL Draft.
=Saskatchewan Roughriders=
Bladek was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the second round, 11th overall, in the 2017 CFL Draft and signed with the club on May 26, 2017.{{cite web |url=https://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/26/riders-sign-six-2017-draft/|title=Riders sign Bladek, five more from 2017 draft |publisher=cfl.ca |date=May 26, 2017 |accessdate=April 9, 2020}} He made the team out of training camp and dressed in all 18 regular season games and two post-season games in his rookie year. His first professional game was on June 22, 2017, against the Montreal Alouettes. In the 2018 season, he earned his first career start, also against the Alouettes, on June 30, 2018.{{cite web |url=https://d3ham790trbkqy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018-CFL-Gm-Notes-76-Ssk-at-Wpg.pdf|title=2018 Canadian Football League Game Notes, Saskatchewan at Winnipeg, Game 76 |publisher=cfl.ca |accessdate=April 9, 2020}} He played in 16 regular season games in 2018 and 11 games in 2019.
=Toronto Argonauts=
Upon becoming a free agent, Bladek signed a contract with the Toronto Argonauts on February 11, 2020.{{cite web|title=CFLFA: Argos ink national OL Dariusz Bladek|url=https://www.argonauts.ca/2020/02/11/cflfa-argos-ink-national-ol-dariusz-bladek/|publisher=Toronto Argonauts|date=February 11, 2020|accessdate=April 9, 2020}} He signed a contract extension with the Argonauts on December 28, 2020.{{cite news |title=Bladek extension among 11 Argos transactions |url=https://www.cfl.ca/2020/12/28/bladek-extension-among-11-argos-transactions/ |website=CFL.ca |date=December 28, 2020 |accessdate=December 29, 2020}} In 2021, he played and started in 10 regular season games for the team and also started in the team's East Final loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that year.{{cite news |url=https://d3ham790trbkqy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-CFL-Guide-PDF-for-site.pdf |title=2023 CFL Guide |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=January 20, 2024}}
In the 2022 season, Bladek played and started in 17 regular season games and both post-season games, including the team's victory in the 109th Grey Cup, which was his first Grey Cup in. He suffered an ankle injury in 2023, which caused him to miss the beginning of the season, but remained a healthy scratch to finish the year as the team finished with a 16–2 record.{{cite news |url=https://3downnation.com/2024/01/19/argos-release-canadian-ol-dariusz-bladek/ |title=Argos release Canadian OL Dariusz Bladek |publisher=3DownNation |date=January 19, 2024}} As a pending free agent, Bladek was released on January 18, 2024.{{cite news |url=https://www.cfl.ca/transactions/2024/ |title=Transactions – Football player trades and signings |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=January 20, 2024}}
=Ottawa Redblacks=
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons}}
- [http://www.ottawaredblacks.com/players/dariusz-bladek/163156/ Ottawa Redblacks bio]
- {{Twitter|_DBladek|Dariusz Bladek}}
{{Ottawa Redblacks roster navbox}}
{{109th Grey Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bladek, Dariusz}}
Category:Canadian football offensive linemen
Category:Players of American football from Passaic County, New Jersey
Category:Saskatchewan Roughriders players
Category:Toronto Argonauts players
Category:Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football players
Category:Sportspeople from Clifton, New Jersey
Category:American people of Polish descent
Category:American sportspeople of Canadian descent
Category:Ottawa Redblacks players