8
Hunting and fishing have always been
a huge part of Mike Pawlawski’s life, so
much so that when he was quarterback
at the University of California in Berke-
ley, he and teammates would sneak off
at night after games and go hunt ducks
and geese in the Central Valley.
“
We’d have to drive two hours at break-
neck speed to make it back in time to
check in for treatment on Sunday, which
ended at 11a.m.,” said Pawlawski, host of
Familiar Waters and Gridiron Outdoors
with Mike Pawlawski. “We were willing
to risk having to run stadiums in order to
sit in the blind.”
Not surprisingly, the best word to
describe Pawlawski, both during his
playing career and now his outdoor
career, is passionate. As the quarterback
at Cal, he led a team that was 1-9 the
year he was recruited to a 10-2 season,
a No. 7 national ranking and a Citrus
Bowl championship as a senior. Often
described as a “great leader” and “true
field general”, Pawlawski, a member of
the Cal Hall of Fame, tends to downplay
his accomplishments. “I just loved the
game and knew it was a blessing to be
able to play every day, so I went at it
full speed, and my teammates could
sense it was honest…not some rah-rah
BS,” he said.
Pawlawski enjoyed an 11-year pro
career that started in the NFL (Tampa
Bay Buccaneers), and moved to the CFL
(
Baltimore/Shreveport), Arena League
(
Albany Firebirds), where he won the
1999
AFL Championship, and XFL (San
Francisco Demons), where he led his
team to the championship game.
Today, Pawlawski, who was also a
professional hunting and fishing guide
in Northern California, brings his passion
to Outdoor Channel viewers every week
as the host and producer of Gridiron
Outdoors with Mike Pawlawski. Each
week, Pawlawski showcases a different
celebrity from the world of college and
pro football. Among last year’s guests:
Urban Meyer (2-time national champion
head coach at Florida; currently coaching
at Ohio State), Brandon Weeden (QB of
the Cleveland Browns), Craig Morton
(3-
time Super Bowl QB for Dallas/
Denver and former AFL MVP), Daryle
Lamonica (5-time Pro Bowl QB, 2-time
AFL MVP and Super Bowl QB for the
Oakland Raiders), Mike Leach (current
head coach at Washington State, voted
“
most interesting man” in college
football), and Steve Wisniewski (8-time
Pro Bowler, 3-time All Pro, Super Bowl
champion and future NFL Hall of Famer)
among myriad other stars.
“
Our pursuits are as varied as our
guests,” said Pawlawski. “One week,
we’re chasing Whitetail in Alberta, and
the next we’re fishing for Tarpon off
Key West.” Pawlawski and his guests
have traveled the globe in search of
MIKE PAWLAWSKI
