National Football Foundation

The nation's active leader in career tackles (379), Baylor's Joe Pawelek has emerged as one of the nation's foremost defensive threats while becoming the first Bear since the legendary Don Trull in 1963 to be named an NFF National Scholar-Athlete. 

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Pawelek is a three-time First Team Academic All-Big 12 selection, earning Second Team Academic All-American laurels in 2008. The eight-time Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll member boasts a double major in Finance and Economics and is on track to graduate this December. He is a three-time Baylor Academic Award winner, continually appearing on the school's Dean's List since his freshman year. 

On pace to establish Baylor records for career games played, career games started and consecutive games started, Pawelek earned All-America and consensus First Team All-Big 12 laurels in 2008. He also leads the nation with 210 career assisted tackles and ranks eighth nationally with 8.8 tackles per game in his career. As a junior, he was the only player in the nation to register 100 or more tackles with at least five interceptions. Pawelek currently ranks second in tackles in the Big 12 (66) and registered a career-high 21 tackles against UConn, the second-best single-game total by an FBS player this season. 

Pawelek has participated in BU's Student-Athlete Advisory Council and Baylor's Leadership Academy for over two years, while also giving his time to the Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and Food for Families. A 2009 Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team nominee, he has spoken to several local schools about drug awareness and leadership. The Seattle Seahawks signed Pawelek as an undrafted free agent after the 2010 NFL Draft and spent two seasons with the team.

He is currently an associate for Starboard Resources, an independent exploration and production company focused on the operation, acquisition, development and production of conventional and unconventional onshore oil and natural gas resources.