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Walking On At FAU Was Nothing To Pasick
11/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 3, 2001
by Marcus Nelson
The Palm Beach Post
Before he arrived at Florida Atlantic, defensive back Lee Pasick knew it wouldn't be easy to earn a scholarship to play for the Owls, who only had a few available for walk-ons.
That didn't deter Pasick, who knows that few things in life come easy.
It wasn't easy being raised by his mother, who despite being unemployed, had to care for Pasick and his two sisters.
Not much has been easy for Pasick, but his experiences have helped him become who he is.
"It was tough, but I think it complemented how I am now," said Pasick. "I really see it as more of a blessing than anything. I wouldn't change anything that I went through."
After getting married earlier this season, Pasick, 22, feels that his life is in order, but that wasn't always the case.
Pasick has always been a bit undersized, and he's hardly the quickest player on the team, but the 5-foot-10, 178-pound sophomore is known as a ferocious hitter.
"He's only as big as I am," said Laura Pasick, Lee's mother, who is now employed at a Sarasota law firm. "He's always been little. When he was younger he'd get mad and he would lift the cement blocks and throw them around."
Pasick also makes up for his size with enthusiasm.
"He may not be quite as gifted athletically, but when he puts the pads on, he is a football player," said FAU defensive coordinator Kirk Hoza. "Lee's intensity, by college football standards, is probably as high as anybody we have on the defense.
FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger added, "He's an example to the other players."
Pasick came to FAU after playing a year at Morehead State. He came as a walk-on, but quickly went to work on earning one of the few scholarships the Owls had available.
One person who believed in Pasick and encouraged him to chase his dream at FAU is his guardian, tom McDonough. McDonough was living in Sarasota after retiring from his job as a guidance counselor in New York when coaches at Sarasota's Riverview High School called him with a suggestion.
"His mother wasn't working, and with no dad in the picture, it wasn't working out, so the coaches asked if I would take him in," McDonough said. "He ended up staying here and only moved out when he went to Morehead."
It was McDonough who took Pasick to FAU after he finished his freshman season at non-scholarship Morehead.
"When Mr. McDonough brought me down, I knew this was where I wanted to be," Pasick said.
Pasick enrolled at FAU and did odd jobs around the football office before the team began practicing last fall. Once the Owls began practicing, Pasick impressed the coaching staff and was awarded a scholarship in the spring.
Pasick has started every game and is fourth on the team in tackles with 28 going into the Owls' (3-4) 1:30 pm game today against Gardner-Webb (3-4) in Boiling Springs, NC.
"He's a tough pug that nobody gave a chance," McDonough said. "He's a tough hard worker, and I think that's why they like him."
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