When former Baltimore Colts kicker Randy Bielski was inducted into Towson University’s Athletics Hall of Fame, he credited his father, Dick, who played for three NFL franchises, with sowing his early development as a kicker, running back and safety.
“I attribute a lot of that success to sitting down and watching those 8-millimeter films with my father as he ran them forwards and backwards,” he said. “He taught me a lot about tendencies and things to look for. That information proved to be very helpful during my playing career.”
Mr. Bielski, who was the first Tigers player to get drafted by an NFL franchise in 1980, died Friday while on vacation with his family at their Ocean City beach home. The Lutherville resident was 67.
“It was very sudden,” Ricky Bielski, his brother, told Towson’s athletic department in a written statement. “He fell ill Friday morning, and about 10 hours later, he passed away. All four of his children and his wife, Joelle, were with him.”
The Bielski brothers’ path to football was paved by their father, a Baltimore native who enrolled at Maryland as a fullback, linebacker and kicker. Despite a spate of injuries that affected his play as a senior in 1954, Dick Bielski — who died Oct. 15 at 91 — was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 1955 draft.
At Dulaney, Mr. Bielski — the third of four children born to Dick and the former Johan “Jo” Mazzadri, who died in 2018 — followed in his father’s footsteps, lining up as a running back and kicker. Gordy Combs, who was an assistant coach at Towson from 1973 to 1991 before helming the program from 1992 to 2008, said Mr. Bielski was one of a few players who made an immediate impact for the Tigers.
“I recall when we recruited Ricky and Randy, and along with [former quarterback] Dan Dullea out of Loyola High School, it gave our program a lot of credibility,” Mr. Combs said in Towson’s statement. “Everyone locally knew how good those guys were. Their presence gave us a huge lift in recruiting local players.”
With the Tigers, former coach Phil Albert kept Mr. Bielski at kicker, but also shifted him to free safety, and Mr. Bielski became a starter as a sophom*ore. That decision proved prescient as Mr. Bielski became the school’s career leader in tackles (288) and interceptions (13). He still owns Towson’s single-game record for tackles with 24 in 1977 against an Ithaca offense that rushed the ball 71 times.
“Randy was an exceptionally intelligent football player,” Mr. Combs said. “Although he was a free safety, he knew when to move up and get involved against the run. But he never got beat deep. No one got behind him.”
John Youngberg remembered joining the team in 1978 for preseason practices and questioning his playing ability after a couple subpar outings. The young offensive guard was surprised when Mr. Bielski, who was two years older, approached him during dinner.
“I didn’t really know who he was at the time, but he sat down with me for about a half an hour and told me all of the things I was doing well and properly,” said Mr. Youngberg, who is the head coach at Catonsville High. “So from my perspective, he was one of the guys who gave me a reason to stay in college football because he gave me enough confidence to keep going. … He didn’t have to do that. He actually took it upon himself to help somebody else out, and I still think about that today.”
Mr. Bielski also left as the program’s all-time leader in points (169) and a two-time All-American. In the 1980 NFL draft, the Colts chose Mr. Bielski in the 12th round, and he is one of only six Towson players to be drafted.
Mr. Youngberg said Mr. Bielski opened the door for Towson players to dream big.
“When you have a teammate who makes it, you think, ‘Wow, we’re not that far away. We’re really that good,’” he said. “So to me, he was an inspiration.”
After a brief stay with the Colts, Mr. Bielski delved into bobsledding and was a member of the U.S. team’s No. 1 sled that competed at the 1981 FIBT World Championships in Cortina, Italy. But during the third heat, the sled overturned on a banked curve, killing driver James Morgan and ending the foursome’s bid for a medal.
Mr. Bielski and his older brother became restaurateurs, opening three Charles Village Pubs, 11 Bagel Works stores and a pizzeria in the Baltimore area. The brothers then bought Ocean Pride Seafood Restaurant in Lutherville, where they had worked part time steaming crabs.
As successful as he was, Mr. Bielski remained modest, Mr. Youngberg said. He recalled visiting one of Mr. Bielski’s Bagel Works stores and watching Mr. Bielski sit down and spend more than 30 minutes with him.
“He didn’t have to do that,” Mr. Youngberg said. “He’s working hard, and he was a very successful businessperson. But it really meant a lot to me that he remembered who I was. I certainly didn’t go as far as he did, but it made me really happy that he did that for me.”
In addition to his brother and wife, Mr. Bielski is survived by his son, Randy Bielski Jr.; three daughters, Kathryn Merson, Jessica Barnett and Rebecca Williams; two sisters, Debra Bielski and Jody Bielski; and 10 grandchildren.
A funeral Mass took place Wednesday afternoon at the Church of the Nativity in Timonium.
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