Joe Pawlak was introduced as the offensive line coach for the Fighting Hawks entering the 2019 season. Previously, Pawlak was a standout at Northern Illinois and served as an offensive assistant at Iowa. The 2023 season will mark his fifth season at North Dakota.
Under Coach Pawlak, the Fighting Hawks shined up front in 2022, helping UND quarterbacks to a completion percentage of 67.1 to rank No. 11 nationally in that category at the end of the season. The protection up front allowed the Hawks to find the end zone 91.5 percent of the time when in the red zone to sit No. 6 in the country. UND’s blocking also allowed the Hawks to chew up the clock in crunch time, averaging 33:23 minutes of clock per game, a mark which came in No. 8 in the FCS. The Fighting Hawks were anchored up front by All-MVFC left tackle Donny Ventrelli and All-MVFC Newcomer Brayden Bryant at left guard.
It was another year of strong play along the offensive line in 2021 for Pawlak and his group. Led by five-time All-American left tackle Matt Waletzko, the group finished as the top passing offensive line in the nation with only three sacks allowed. They also ranked at the top of the conference and inside the top-3 of the FCS with the fewest negative plays allowed. Waletzko was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (155th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.
UND turned back to its dominating running ways under Pawlak in his second year, helping the squad rank inside the top half of the conference in rushing offense, time of possession, total offense, turnovers lost and passing offense. The Hawks upped their scoring as well, leading the MVFC with 29.9 points per game.Â
Seniors Nathan Nguon and Ryan Tobin each earned all-conference accolades, with Nguon earning All-America status from the Associated Press. Waletzko also earned an all-conference selection and entered the 2021 season as an NFL draft prospect.Â
In his first year coaching the offensive line at UND, Pawlak helped the offense turn to a passing attack. The Hawks broke multiple offensive passing records in the 2019 season while the offensive line surrendered only 19 sacks. The offensive line also paved the way for a rushing attack that eclipsed over 1,600 yards and 18 scores.Â
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Prior to coming to North Dakota, Pawlak had spent the previous three seasons as a graduate assistant with the Iowa football program where he assisted with the Hawkeye offense. While in Iowa City, Pawlak helped the Hawkeyes win a combined 28 games over three seasons, matching the third-best total in school history over any three-year period. He helped coach the offensive line to a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his three seasons, including a pair of backs who crossed over the 1,000-yard plateau in 2016 for the first time in school history. The Iowa offensive line earned the 2016 Joe Moore Award, which is presented to the best offensive line in college football.
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Pawlak served as a graduate assistant on the Northern Illinois coaching staff for two seasons before moving to Iowa. There, he helped the Huskies earn back-to-back bowl appearances in 2014 and 2015, including six straight appearances in the Mid-American Conference championship game.
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A three-year starter at NIU, Pawlak started the final 41 games of his career and appeared in 52 total games. As a member of the 2011 MAC championship team, he was part of an offensive line that allowed just 12 sacks to rank 10th in the nation for fewest sacks allowed as the NIU offense broke 12 single-season records led by future Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch at quarterback. Pawlak earned all-conference honors in 2010 and academic all-conference recognition in 2011.
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Pawlak graduated from Northern Illinois with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2011 and a master's degree in sport management in 2015. He also completed his master's degree in leisure and recreational sports management at Iowa in 2018.
