Gursky was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, and attended Governor Mifflin Senior High School in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
He then attended Penn State University where he played for the Nittany Lions football team from 1960 to 1962.
[2] Gursky later played professional football in the NFL for the New York Giants in 1963.
[3] After an injury to linebacker Tom Scott in the first quarter of the 1963 NFL Championship Game, Gursky entered the game as a substitute and was credited by teammate Andy Robustelli with having done "an outstanding job.
"[2] He also played in the ACFL for the Atlantic City Senators in 1966.