This past Tuesday, I had the pleasure of getting to know Mr. Teddy Pajakowski. Mr. Pajakowski is the defensive coordinator for the Saint Joseph High School Football team and has coached me for the past four years. As one of his players, I have had the honor of working under a dedicated mentor like himself. Along with being a football coach, Mr. Pajakowski has the privilege of being the father of three young children. As I sat down with Mr. Pajakowski, I got to know small and interesting details about his day to day life. Even though I knew him as my coach, Mr. Pajakowski helps the school on a daily basis in the business office. Throughout the year, he works in the business department as the tuition manager. 

For the past four years on the football team, I have grown to have a very strong relationship with Mr. Pajakowski. As a defensive football player, I have worked with him for many hours throughout the course of the school year. While working with him, I discovered that Mr. Pajakowski has the best intentions for each and every one of his players. He has always made an effort to connect with his players and develop personal relationships with them. I have heard from many of my own teammates that they have always felt a strong bond with Mr. Pajakowski. Saint Joe is extremely lucky to have someone who cares for his players as much as him!

Not only does he coach at Saint Joe, but he also used to study here. During his studies, he was involved in a multitude of extracurricular activities. These activities include being a member of both the football and baseball teams. A fun fact about Mr. Pajakowski is that my brother Broc Tarwacki used to play with him on his team! I asked my brother Broc about Coach Paj and he always had amazing things to say. Broc described him to be a very welcoming and personable guy. When talking with Mr. Pajakowski, you could always tell that football was his favorite sport. Coach Paj played all four years of high school football and wore number 9 as he played strong safety. Following his education at Saint Joe, he attended university and later went on to coach Culver Military Academy for 4 years. After his time at Culver, Coach Paj moved to Saint Joe where he has been coaching for five years and plans to continue for many more. As Saint Joe’s coach, he has had a large impact on successful defensive schemes. One being in 2018, and the other being this past fall. 

As a coach, Mr. Pajakowski has expressed that he always looks forward to spending time with his players and helping out kids that he truly cares about. He loves to build family with the team and have special interactions with all of the players. He says the best thing about being a coach is being able to share his passions with young kids and be able to help them to excel in the sport that they love. He told me that Saint Joe football has had a massive impact on his life as a young kid, and he hopes to be able to give this impactful experience to his players. In addition, Mr. Pajakowski also intends to always be a part of the program whether it is having a hands-on job like coaching or helping behind the scenes. Personally, I can say that I know Mr. Pajakowski will always have an essential role on the football team because of his dedication to his players. I am so lucky to have had Coach Paj as mentor for the past four years and I hope to keep this relationship with him as I move on from Saint Joe next year.