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University of Minnesota Athletics
Uprising - Senior John Pawielski
9/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Pawielski’s hard-hitting and intelligent style of play earned him time on the special teams units during his true freshman season. Since then, he’s become one of the Gophers’ most coveted and dangerous weapons, heading into his second year as a starting free safety. It didn’t take the coaches long to realize the special player they decided to accept as a walk-on in 2002.
Defensive coordinator David Lockwood arrived at Minnesota the same year as Pawielski as a defensive backs coach and realized right away that number 34 was not a typical walk-on. He told Head Coach Glen Mason early in 2002, “Hey, this kid will play here. He’s smart. He’s tough. He’s gutsy.”
Mason, who has a long history of allowing walk-ons to play once they prove themselves agreed. “I like those kids that want to prove they can play,” Mason explained. “No one recruited them. No one wined and dined them. No one called them on the phone and begged them. They just kind of show up one day and say, ‘You know, I think I can play, give me a chance.’”
Ask Pawielski about it and he’ll admit he is still surprised by how far he has come. “It surprises me. When I first started I was hoping just to get on the field by this time,” Pawielski stated. “It’s a testament to hard work. It just proves that it can be done. Walk-on doesn’t mean bench-warmer.”
Not only does his style of play impress his coaches, but also his teammates who elected him one of four captains for the 2005 season. The attributes of high-intensity play, in-your-face hits, and strong leadership convinced this season’s Golden Gopher team that when at battle they are more than satisfied to call Pawielski one of their leaders.
Lockwood feels that he was an obvious choice. “It’s a great honor to have a kid like that to represent the defense. It’s one of those old gridiron football stories,” Lockwood commented. “He’s a kid whose always been told that he’s not big enough, not fast enough. But here he is, a captain on our football team.”
“It’s a great honor for me, mainly because it was voted on by my peers,” Pawielski said. “It means you are doing things right, and people are taking notice of it. The respect that the team has for me is very important, it’s such a great feeling.”
“He’s one of those guys who’s like the quarterback of the defense,” Mason recently stated. “When he makes the check everybody believes him. He might be wrong, but everybody believes him. They trust him.”
The leadership part of Pawielski’s role on the team comes natural to him. Coming from the small town of Waupaca, Wis., Pawielski played both ways on his high school football team. His offensive position was quarterback, the perfect spot for a natural leader.
What is surprising to outsiders is how the self-described “shy” and mild-mannered Pawielski can become the safety, who makes game-saving interceptions or bone-crushing tackles on Saturdays.
“It’s a transformation,” Pawielski said. “It’s just something I have to do, to be the player that I am. It’s a state of mind. I know what I have to do, so I do it. Football is exciting to me; I don’t need anything extra to get me ready to go. It’s a rush out there. It’s you or them who will go down.”
One reason that Pawielski has gotten to this point is his relentless work ethic and his never back down attitude. It has enabled him to become a contributor, starter and captain of his football team, and allows him to make big plays and tackles against opponents. In his younger days he’d hit the upperclassmen receivers and tight ends as hard as he could to make a statement, to demonstrate that he can play Big Ten football.
Even with the amazing Braylon Edwards gone, the Big Ten is still stacked with dominant receivers. Too bad for them Pawielski is chomping at the bit to lay them out. He is not intimidated by anyone. “Sure there are great athletes in this conference, but I’m not intimidated by them,” Pawielski commented. “When you are intimidated you play tentative, I’ve never been like that. I think of it as more of a challenge. We have great receivers too, so I feel I’m ready for anything. Ernie Wheelwright is one of the best playmakers in the conference. I play against him everyday, so I’m ready.”
In an era of college football when teams are limited to 85 scholarships it is a blessing for the Golden Gophers to have found such a true talent on and off the field in John Pawielski as a walk-on. Sure he is not a walk-on anymore, but he serves as an inspiration to football players of all ages. He is the prime example that if one has the right attitude, loves the game, and gives it all every play, practice or game, they too can beat the odds.
There is an old cliché that goes, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” Pawielski came to the U of M a puppy, but the size of his fight will have him leaving as one of the top dogs.
Story by Dominic Ladd athletic communications graduate assistant Golden Gopher free safety John Pawielski didn’t come to the U of M to be a captain. In fact when he arrived here four years ago, he didn’t know if he’d even see the field by his senior season. Boy, was he wrong.
Pawielski’s hard-hitting and intelligent style of play earned him time on the special teams units during his true freshman season. Since then, he’s become one of the Gophers’ most coveted and dangerous weapons, heading into his second year as a starting free safety. It didn’t take the coaches long to realize the special player they decided to accept as a walk-on in 2002.
Defensive coordinator David Lockwood arrived at Minnesota the same year as Pawielski as a defensive backs coach and realized right away that number 34 was not a typical walk-on. He told Head Coach Glen Mason early in 2002, “Hey, this kid will play here. He’s smart. He’s tough. He’s gutsy.”
Mason, who has a long history of allowing walk-ons to play once they prove themselves agreed. “I like those kids that want to prove they can play,” Mason explained. “No one recruited them. No one wined and dined them. No one called them on the phone and begged them. They just kind of show up one day and say, ‘You know, I think I can play, give me a chance.’”
Ask Pawielski about it and he’ll admit he is still surprised by how far he has come. “It surprises me. When I first started I was hoping just to get on the field by this time,” Pawielski stated. “It’s a testament to hard work. It just proves that it can be done. Walk-on doesn’t mean bench-warmer.”
Not only does his style of play impress his coaches, but also his teammates who elected him one of four captains for the 2005 season. The attributes of high-intensity play, in-your-face hits, and strong leadership convinced this season’s Golden Gopher team that when at battle they are more than satisfied to call Pawielski one of their leaders.
Lockwood feels that he was an obvious choice. “It’s a great honor to have a kid like that to represent the defense. It’s one of those old gridiron football stories,” Lockwood commented. “He’s a kid whose always been told that he’s not big enough, not fast enough. But here he is, a captain on our football team.”
“It’s a great honor for me, mainly because it was voted on by my peers,” Pawielski said. “It means you are doing things right, and people are taking notice of it. The respect that the team has for me is very important, it’s such a great feeling.”
“He’s one of those guys who’s like the quarterback of the defense,” Mason recently stated. “When he makes the check everybody believes him. He might be wrong, but everybody believes him. They trust him.”
The leadership part of Pawielski’s role on the team comes natural to him. Coming from the small town of Waupaca, Wis., Pawielski played both ways on his high school football team. His offensive position was quarterback, the perfect spot for a natural leader.
What is surprising to outsiders is how the self-described “shy” and mild-mannered Pawielski can become the safety, who makes game-saving interceptions or bone-crushing tackles on Saturdays.
“It’s a transformation,” Pawielski said. “It’s just something I have to do, to be the player that I am. It’s a state of mind. I know what I have to do, so I do it. Football is exciting to me; I don’t need anything extra to get me ready to go. It’s a rush out there. It’s you or them who will go down.”
One reason that Pawielski has gotten to this point is his relentless work ethic and his never back down attitude. It has enabled him to become a contributor, starter and captain of his football team, and allows him to make big plays and tackles against opponents. In his younger days he’d hit the upperclassmen receivers and tight ends as hard as he could to make a statement, to demonstrate that he can play Big Ten football.
Even with the amazing Braylon Edwards gone, the Big Ten is still stacked with dominant receivers. Too bad for them Pawielski is chomping at the bit to lay them out. He is not intimidated by anyone. “Sure there are great athletes in this conference, but I’m not intimidated by them,” Pawielski commented. “When you are intimidated you play tentative, I’ve never been like that. I think of it as more of a challenge. We have great receivers too, so I feel I’m ready for anything. Ernie Wheelwright is one of the best playmakers in the conference. I play against him everyday, so I’m ready.”
In an era of college football when teams are limited to 85 scholarships it is a blessing for the Golden Gophers to have found such a true talent on and off the field in John Pawielski as a walk-on. Sure he is not a walk-on anymore, but he serves as an inspiration to football players of all ages. He is the prime example that if one has the right attitude, loves the game, and gives it all every play, practice or game, they too can beat the odds.
There is an old cliché that goes, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” Pawielski came to the U of M a puppy, but the size of his fight will have him leaving as one of the top dogs.
Story by Dominic Ladd athletic communications graduate assistant
