Buffalo Sports Hall of Famer launches charity to honor brother’s memory

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Rudy Pikuzinski came from a soccer family and playing alongside his three younger brothers became a way of life.

“That’s what you did. What computers? One TV per house. You played all the time,” Pikuzinski said.

Rudy excelled on the field, playing professionally in his hometown and spending several years making a name for himself in the Canadian National Soccer League.

Some of his favorite memories were playing with his youngest brother, Randy.

“We both went to Ohio. Then Randy got traded to Milwaukee while I was playing in Ohio. Then we joined the Blizzard in 1992,” Pikuzinski said.

Life after football never really ended, as Rudy naturally transitioned into training and coaching. Just as everything seemed to be falling into place, the Pikuzinski family received devastating news about their second oldest brother, Richie.

WKBW

“He said, ‘Wait a minute,’ and he opened the door and he told us he’d been diagnosed with ALS,” Pikuzinski said.

Rudy remembers the pain his brother Richie had to endure for about two and a half years after receiving his diagnosis.

“The best definition I have of it is that the more peaceful you are, the more paralyzed you are every day. The only thing that can last in you and be normal is your brain,” Pikuzinski said.

So when Rudy was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, he was inspired by a saying his brother lived by.

“In my speech, I said, ‘I bleed Buffalo.’ It’s in my blood,” Pikuzinski said.

Briana Aldridge/WKBW

It’s the perfect slogan for the launch of “I Bleed Buffalo”, a product that donates its profits to a good cause.

“I bleed Buffalo, I feel like Richie always represented. He was a guidance counselor and principal at Falks School. He always represented his family and who he worked for,” Pikuzinski said.