Tulsa Football to Honor Former First-Team All-American Jerry Ostroski with Jersey Retirement

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TULSA, Okla. –– In 1991, University of Tulsa offensive lineman Jerry Ostroski became just the fourth player in school history to receive the prestigious Associated Press (AP) first-team All-America award, and since that time no other Golden Hurricane player has been bestowed a first-team honor by the Associated Press, the standard of All-America teams.

It was announced today by the school that Ostroski's jersey No. 55 will be just the ninth in the history of The University of Tulsa football program to be retired. Ostroski will be honored on Saturday, October 27, as the Hurricane hosts the Tulane Green Wave in an American Athletic Conference battle at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Ostroski came to Tulsa in 1988 from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, where he played prep football at Owen J. Roberts High School. He was the only true freshman that season for the Hurricane to earn a letter after being a part-time starter at right tackle.

Beginning as a sophomore, Ostroski was a full-time starter on the Tulsa offensive line and became a dominant player in his final three seasons. He helped lead the Hurricane to a 6-5 regular season record and an appearance in the 1989 Independence Bowl against Oregon his sophomore season.

Ostroski moved from right tackle as a junior to left guard for his senior season. He graded 91-percent for blocking consistency and registered 49 knockdown blocks as the Hurricane averaged 185.7 yards per game rushing in 1991.

In that 1991 season, the Tulsa football team put together a 10-2 record, won the Freedom Bowl 28-17 over San Diego State and finished the season ranked 21st by the Associated Press and USA Today/CNN polls. A big part of that success stemmed from a balanced offensive unit, led on the front line by Ostroski.

In addition to his first-team AP honor, the 6'3", 322-pound senior was also named an All-America selection by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), The Sporting News (TSN), United Press International (UPI), College and Pro Football Weekly and the Poor Man's Guide to the NFL Draft.

Ostroski was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 10th round in the 1992 NFL Draft and went on to an eight-year career with the Buffalo Bills from 1994 through 2001, starting 102 of 106 games on the offensive line.

Tulsa's other retired football jerseys include: #14 Billy Guy Anderson (QB), #17 Jerry Rhome (QB), #31 Ellis Jones (L), #36 Felto Prewitt (L), #45 Glenn Dobbs (QB), #64 Marvin Matuszak (OL), #81 Howard Twilley (WR) and #83 Steve Largent (WR). Largent was the most recent to have his jersey retired in October 2008.

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Tulsa Football to Honor Former First-Team All-American Jerry Ostroski with Jersey Retirement

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