Collegiately, Ptaszek played CIAU football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. He was named an all-Canadian three times and was part of the 1991 Yates Cup and 27th Vanier Cup championship team. Ptaszek was also named to the Golden Hawks Team of the Century and holds the school's records for most receiving yards in a career. As a professional player, he played for four seasons for the BC Lions, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
Ptaszek became McMaster's head coach in 2006 and won the school's first Vanier Cup championship in 2011. Ptaszek also coached the Marauders to the longest winning streak in CIS history, winning 21 games in a row spanning over the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In 2012, he was named the CIS Coach of the Year.
Ptaszek served as the offensive coordinator for the UBC Thunderbirds for the 2018 season.
Return to the McMaster Marauders
On November 28, 2018, Ptaszek was named head coach of the McMaster Marauders. During his first season back, the Marauders finished the 2019 regular season with a record of 6-2, en route to winning the Yates Cup.