Bull Run mourns the passing of Dr. Edmond J. Gicewicz

Edmond “Doc” Gicewicz, a former UB player, a former team doctor, and a man who hsa always stood by the program passed away Wednesday, at the age of 89.

Gicewicz played for the Bulls in the late 40’s and early 50’s. He was such a strong player that his name is still all over the UB record books. His 14 career receiving touchdowns is top 10 ten overall, and it came in an era when the ground game was still far and away the dominant aspect of an offense.

He was a receiver ahead of his time.

But for all the accomplishments that Doc G had on the field, it was what he did next which most made his mark on The University, the Football team, and the community.

While playing at Buffalo, and nearing the end of his undergraduate days one of the coaches pushed him to work towards a medical degree. He went on to earn a medical degree from UB in 1956 and served as the football team physician for 27 years.

Gicewicz was president of the UB Medical Alumni Association and founder and first medical director of the University Sports Medicine Institute.

He held appointments as an assistant professor of clinical surgery and an assistant professor of clinical orthopedics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

He was honored by his alma mater with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1977, the prestigious Samuel P. Capen Chancellor’s Award in 1978 and the UB President’s Medal in 2013.

In 2007, the UB Athletics Hall of Fame was renamed the Dr. and Mrs. Edmond J. Gicewicz Family UB Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2015, the new state-of-the-art club seating section at UB Stadium was named the Edmond J. Gicewicz Club.

I once had the pleasure of a long talk with Doc, back when UB hired Danny White. His insight into Buffalo, football, and where the program should go was amazing. He was even kind enough to send me some old press clippings and game programs from his playing days.

Doc will always be a staple of UB football, he played in the 50’s, he was a team doctor in the glory days of Dick Offenhamer, he was a voice to bring back the program in the 70’s, and he was involve din bringing UB from a club to a division one program.

But Gicewicz was more than all of that. He was a good man, a kind man, and he will be missed.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to wife, Connie, and their five children and 11 grandchildren.