Athletic Hall of Fame
Fred Pawelk ’89 earned his BA in secondary education.
Pawelk was a four-year letterman at running back for the Cougars and a catalyst for two of the top teams of the 1980s. In 1985, he was honorable mention All-Illini-Badger Football Conference for a team that averaged 404 yards of offense and 25.7 points per game. In 1987, Pawelk earned first-team All-IBFC honors as the Cougars went 7-2, tying the record at that time for most wins in a season.
In his senior year of 1988, Pawelk was named to the preseason Pizza Hut All-America Football Team. He rushed for 807 yards on a season-record 195 carries (including a single-game record of 35) and was named as the Illini-Badger Most Valuable Player. Pawelk finished his career with over 1,900 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns which remained a school record until 2009.
Pawelk was also one of the first student-athletes to earn recognition for academic achievements. He received GTE Academic All-District honors in 1987 and 1988.
After graduation, Pawelk served as an assistant football coach and admissions’ counselor at Concordia. He later taught science and was head wrestling coach and assistant track coach for Luther South High School in Chicago. Pawelk has been a volunteer assistant football coach for Lutheran High School in Mayer, MN where he is also the owner of Jerry’s Transmission Service, Inc., and North Central Ambulance Sales and Service.
