SPORTS
Matt Pawlowski attributes coaches, teammates for early season success
SEPTEMBER 28, 2012
First-year quarterback Matt
Pawlowski ranks third
in passing completions and
touchdowns in the ODAC.
BY L.A. LOGAN
Staff Writer
And the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Offensive
Football Player of the Week and Guilford College Student-
Athlete of the Week honors go to — first-year quarterback.
Matt Pawlowski.
During that impressive week, Pawlowski totaled four
touchdowns and led the Quakers to their first victory of the
season.
As a respectful young talent, Pawlowski attributes success
on the field to his coaches and teammates.
"Anything I do on the football field, I credit my coaches
and teammates," said Pawlowski. "They've all helped me out
tremendously, especially the offensive line."
Pawlowski is building quite a reputation for himself on the
football field. The cool, calm and collected quarterback ranks
third in passing completions (62), percentage (57.4), yards per
game (226), and touchdowns (6) in the ODAC.
The newly declared sports management major has also
earned respect inside the classroom from one of his professors.
"There are three kinds of people in this world," said Robert
Duncan, visiting assistant professor of political science.
"There's the kind of people who makes things happen. There's
the kind of people who waits for things to happen. Then there's
the kind of people who wonders what happened. Matt is the
kind of person who makes things happen."
Instilled with his parents' strong values, Pawlowski has
grown into a laid-back, soft-spoken leader.
"As a leader, I lead by example," said Pawlowski. "Whether
it's running sprints hard, or producing good grades. I'm just a
hard worker at whatever I do. Just because I'm laid-back and
quiet doesn't mean that I can't be a great leader."
In an email interview Matt's mother, Kim Pawlowski,
recalled how she and her husband raised their unique son.
"We always tried to stress to Matt that school came first and
sports second," said Kim. "You can only get so far playing
sports, but a good education will carry someone through life.
We also tried to remind him about how honesty and hard work
will always pay off even if it can take a while. I think he has
been able to see the results of that."
Before committing to Guilford, Pawlowski said Liberty
University and the Virginia Military Institute were in the
recruiting race, but he felt Guilford was the right fit.
"Guilford's coaches made it personal for me and explained
they were going to help me progress throughout my years,
which drew me in," said Pawlowski. "They know I can grow
as a person and as a quarterback."
Entering the 2012 summer football training camp,
Pawlowsld battled his way to the top of the depth chart.
Chris Kennedy, head sport performance trainer at Proehlific
Park, and Pawlowski believe that training at Proehlific Park
prepared him for the daily grind of the season.
"Matt is always faithful and committed to his work ethic,"
said Kennedy. "If he couldn't get any sleep in order to get in
extra repetitions at lifting or throwing balls, I believe he would
never sleep."
Before arriving at Guilford, Pawlowski started as quarterback
every year since his freshman year at Northwest Guilford High
School, not qven a ten-minute drive from campus. Northwest
Guilford Head Football Coach Joe Woodruff describes
Pawlowski as an athlete with many intangibles.
"This kid wins games if he throws the ball forty times or five
times," said Woodruff. "He finds a way to win. One other kid
I coached is in the NFL right now as a quarterback. I'd be hard
pressed to not take Matt over him just because Matt is such a
proven winner."
Although he has won a lot of games in high school,
Pawlowsld remains levelheaded and continues to find ways
for him and his teammates to get better every week. Pawlowski
is optimistic about his first season and his future.
"Every game I approach I only think about winning," said
Pawlowski. "When I leave this campus, I want to be known
as a splendid student-athlete who helped expand Guilford's
football program as well as developed into a distinguished
learner with a bachelor's degree in sports management."
Professional athletes are throwing in the final towel
BY ELIAS BLONDEAU
Staff Writer
In Bruce Springsteen's classic song,
"Glory Days," the singer references a
friend in a bar who "was a big baseball
player back in high school," but whose
life is now so dull that all he talks about
are his "glory days." In many ways the
sports industry parallels this song with
a majority of major athletes quitting at
relatively young ages.
Last month, tennis superstar Andy
Roddick announced his retirement at the
age of 30, sending shockwaves through the
sports world. When asked for the reason
of this move by USOpen.org, he replied,
"I just feel like it's time." He went on to
cite inability to consistently take both the
physical and mental tolls of the sport.
His decision, however, is not an
uncommon one in the world of professional
sports. While the span of time between 30
and 40 seems relatively young to quit, a
look at the retirement rate among leagues
proves otherwise.
With the exception of the NBA, in which
the average retirement age is around
36, according to ChaCha.com, Roddick
seemed to call it quits at a typical time for
a person in his position.
Steve Yzerman, a former captain for the
Detroit Red Wings, attributes the primary
reasort for most players retiring to the
stress such strenuous activity places on the
body.
"The only reason I retired was health," he
told The Hockey News in a 2008 interview.
"I loved playing the game and everything
about it. If I could have remained healthy
and trained and what not, I would've kept
playing."
"I believe I owe it to the
Cardinals and the fans of St.
Louis to step aside, so a talented
free agent can be brought in as
the final piece of what I expect
can be a world championship-
caliber team."
Mark McGwire, former St. Louis
Cardinals player
Renowned basketball great Shaquille
O'Neal, who retired last year at 39, can
vouch for this statement. Struggling with
an Achilles injury, he pushed against his
body in order to keep playing the game he
loved.
"Doc (Brian McKeon) kept telling me,
'No, no,' but I wanted to play so badly,"
O'Neal said to ESPN. "My feeling was, 'if
it ruptures, it ruptures.' The Celtics were
so good to me I wanted to do everything
I could to get back on the court for them."
That drive to continue, with the body
being the only shackle, is one that carries
through all major sports, and has been
persistent for years. Mark McGwire,
famed player for the St. Louis Cardinals,
expressed similar sentiments when he
retired in 2001.
"I am unable to perform at a level
equal to the salary the organization
would be paying me," McGwire
told the Associated Press in 2001.
"I believe I owe it to the Cardinals
and the fans of St. Louis to step
aside, so a talented free agent can
be brought in as the final piece
of what I expect can be a world
championship-caliber team.
"For years I have said my
motivation for playing wasn't for
fame and fortune, but rather the
love of competing."
Fervent fans push for their
favorite players to continue,
using harsh terms like
"quitter" to deride their ^ ^
choice to retire.
This shows
complete lack
of respect
for people they claim to idolize, and a
misunderstanding of the motivations
behind leaving a sport.
The strong emotions displayed in these
interviews prove that players don't quit
because they want to. They quit because
they know their limits, and want to be
remembered in the best possible light,
immortalized forever in almanacs and
trading cards.
Springsteen's song "The Wrestler"
describes a "one-trick pony" whose only
"faith is in the broken bones and bruises"
he displays, not knowing when to
call it quits. These athletes would
gather be the subjects of "Glory
j^Days," growing old and living
.vicariously through "boring
stories" of days that passed
by "in the blink of a young
girl's eye."
Shaquille O'Neal
continued playing
basketball despite an
Achilles injury, a common
theme in major sports.