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09/23/2005: "Brothers shore up Shoremen's O-line"

Posted in the Duluth News Tribune on Sat, Aug. 13, 2005


SEMIPRO: Teams such as Duluth-Superior allow brothers like Korey and Jon Jazdzewski to do what they never thought was possible: be teammates.

BY JON NOWACKI,
NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER


A splendid china cabinet with a beautiful glass door has stood like a fortress tower for more than 30 years in the Jazdzewski living room in Morgan Park.

The cabinet has been kicked and smacked, teetered and tottered, but never broken as the Jazdzewski brothers -- Tim, Korey and Jon -- waged small wars playing football games in the family living room.

Now Korey and Jon are doing what they thought their 10-year age difference wouldn't allow. They are teammates, offensive linemen with the Duluth-Superior Shoremen semipro football team.

Jon is in his second year with the team, while Korey is in his first. Tim Jazdzewski also would likely be playing if not for a bad back. It's part of what makes semipro football special, says Shoremen coach Terry Fawcett.

"They are from a very close family, and you can just tell by watching Jon that's it's a thrill for him to play with his older brother," Fawcett said. "It is something they would never be able to do otherwise if it weren't for leagues like this, and teams like this."

The Shoremen, who lost 20-17 to the Minnesota Valley Warriors last week, will try to rebound against the River Cities RoughRiders at 5:15 p.m. today at Public Schools Stadium.

While PSS has been rebuilt in recent years, the Jazdzewskis are no strangers to football there. The sons of Gayle and Bob Jazdzewski are Duluth Denfeld graduates.

Tim Jazdzewski, 38, played at Mesabi Community College, while the younger brothers played at Minnesota Duluth.

Korey Jazdzewski, 36, started four years at defensive tackle at UMD from 1987 to 1991, earning all-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference honors his senior year. He worked out with the Minnesota Vikings in 1991 and was in minicamp with the Dallas Cowboys. The following year he worked out with the Utah Pioneers of the Professional Spring Football League, but the league folded the first year.

"I didn't pursue it after that, but you always thought about it. Of course you did," Korey Jazdzewski said. "You never quit thinking about playing football. I sat in the stands at PSS last year watching my little brother play, and I wanted to get in there. I didn't think too much about it at the time because with my job, it would have been really tough to do. But then I switched jobs and had more time, so I thought, 'Why not?' "

Center Jon Jazdzewski played at UMD from 1997-2001, starting some at center and guard three of those years.

At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, it's hard to think of the 26-year-old being a little brother to anyone.

But at 6-5, 290 pounds, Korey Jazdzewski is a big brother in more ways than one. Tim stands 6-foot and 240 pounds.

Korey Jazdzewski still had the size for football, but he and Jon decided to get in shape by lifting weights. While Korey isn't as strong as he used to be, he is strong enough.

"With the pads off, Korey is older and might not look all that athletic or strong," Fawcett said. "I think some of our guys were wondering if he could still play. But when the pads were on, he just started chucking guys around. I mean, there is a reason he got looked at by the Vikings and Cowboys. He is as strong as a bull."

Pronounced Yev-jesky, teammates just call the brothers of Polish descent "Jasky" or "Jazz."

Fawcett, a former Duluth Central player, used to play against Korey Jazdzewski in high school and went to graduate school with Jon's wife, Jamie. Fawcett talks about how the brothers came out of KFC on a recent road trip, and Jon Jazdzewski was carrying the food -- plenty of food -- for his older brother.

"They are the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and they're from a very, very good family," Fawcett said. "I wish they were all like that. Guys like that make it easy to coach."

With Jon and Jamie Jazdzewski expecting a child, this will probably be the last year of semipro football for the Jazdzewskis. Jon says he'll need more time to raise a family, and Korey said it wouldn't seem right not playing as teammates. Instead, they plan on watching younger Jazdzewskis play.

"When we were kids, we used to have Jon run the ball, while Tim and I would be the linemen, but Jon was always the one that got killed," Korey Jazdzewski said. "In the living room, out in the grass, it didn't matter. He always seemed to take the brunt of it. But that's how he got tough.

"The china cabinet is still standing. Now the grandkids can have at it."