Gaydeski, a two-sport athlete, competed as a thrower for track and field as well as a defensive end for the football team. He secured a spot as an NCAA qualifier in 1968 by setting the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional record in the javelin.
During the first varsity track meet of his senior year, the Vandergrift, Pa. native broke the Lafayette javelin record and set the final mark at the 1969 Penn Relays, where he took fourth with a throw of 240'5" and made the Penn Relays meet record in prelims with a throw of 249'4".
While ranked 11th in the nation, he placed second at the Mid-Atlantic Conference championships in the javelin in 1968-69 and third at the 1968-69 IC4A Championships. To this day, Gaydeski holds Lafayette's outdoor javelin record prior to javelin technology being changed.
On the gridiron, he earned First Team All-Pennsylvania Colleges honors in 1968 when the program went 7-3, then its best record since 1940. He was an All-Middle-Atlantic Conference First Team selection that year and an honorable mention during the previous season. As a senior, the Religious Studies major received the 1969 Charles L. Albert Award, given to the most outstanding Lafayette athlete.
After graduation, he played one season of pro football for the Hartford Knights. Gaydeski then joined the Air Force in 1970, flying both F-4 and F-111 fighters which included a combat tour in southeast Asia. He recalls activities like jumping from planes and working alongside forces at Fort Bragg, N.C. He retired from active duty 20 years later and received his Master's of Public Administration from Central Michigan in 1990.
While spending the next 15 years as a town or city manager in various municipalities, he became involved in acting, completing several stage plays and commercials. Currently, he resides in Concord, N.C. and works alongside his son running a scuba diving and swim instruction business.Â
Gaydeski has five children and four grandchildren, who live in various parts of the United States.
