Two Number Sixteens

By Jim Joanos

Two legendary Florida State football players, Ralph Chaudron and Gary Pajcic, have recently moved on to that great stadium in the sky. Both made major contributions to FSU's football program. Both continued to support FSU in numerous ways through the years. We shall miss them.

Oddly enough, although they played two decades apart, both wore the same number, 16, during very memorable games in FSU's history. Chaudron wore the number the very first time that it was worn by an FSU player in a varsity football game when on October 18, 1947, he started in the backfield against Stetson in the first FSU football game of modern times. Pajcic had that number on his jersey on October 8, 1966, when he threw that famous pass to Lane Fenner for the winning touchdown that did not count against the University of Florida.

Ralph Chaudron

Ralph Chaudron, one of my childhood heroes, died on July 28th, at age 78. A member of FSU's first three modern era teams, 1947, 48 and 49, he was a most exciting football player to watch. I liked him because he was one of the smallest players on the team, but yet played with as big a heart as anyone. He had been a high school star at Pensacola High but was not considered to be big enough for college football. Not only was he an outstanding football player, but he played and lettered in two other sports at FSU, basketball and baseball. In all three sports, he exuded that same kind of "give it everything" effort that would continue throughout his lifetime in all of his endeavors.

In that first FSU game against Stetson, Chaudron started at left half back, and played defensive back when Stetson had the ball. As such, during the game, he made the first interception ever by an FSU player. Throughout his FSU career, he would play both on offense and defense, as was the custom during that time.

After college, he went back to the Pensacola area and became a successful high school coach. He married Elizabeth Ann Parker in 1951. During his career as a coach for twenty-one years, he coached at Tate High, Tech High, and Escambia High. He not only coached football, but baseball also, at times, and served as Athletic Director, on occasions. In 1972, he moved on into school administration until his retirement as an assistant principal in 1985. He received numerous well deserved awards during his lifetime from the Florida Athletic Coaches Association including a Life Membership, Meritorious Service awards, and induction into the FACA Hall of Fame in recognition for the outstanding service that he gave to high school athletic programs in Florida. In 1986, he was inducted into the Florida State University Sports Hall of Fame.

Gary Pajcic

Gary Pajcic died on August 2nd, at age 58. He came to FSU in 1965 as a highly touted quarterback out of Paxon High School in Jacksonville along with his high school teammate and close friend, wide receiver Ron Sellers. The tandem led the FSU freshman team to a stellar year and Seminole fans looked forward to a continuation of the "pass happy" exciting days of football that Coach Bill Peterson had begun.

In 1966, as a sophomore, Pajcic became a starting quarterback after he came off the bench and led FSU to victory over Miami, 23-20, in the second game of the season. He started games thereafter until late in the year when a sore arm reduced his abilities. He was plagued by injuries the remainder of his career at FSU. Although he played and lettered for two more years, because of injuries, he never quite regained the form exhibited in that 1966 season when he was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. During that season he destroyed the existing school record for total yards on offense for a season when he compiled 1,590 passing and 145 rushing yards. Against Virgina Tech that year, his 28 completions in 53 passes thrown in one game also shattered single game school records.

Not only did he excel on the field of play but in the classroom as well. Following his recent death, two of his former professors at FSU wrote a letter to the Tallahassee Democrat describing Pajcic as giving meaning to the word "student-athlete" and that he was "the kind of student you hope for: bright, serious and hard-working."

After his undergraduate days, Pajcic went on to the FSU College of Law, and then became an outstanding lawyer back in his hometown of Jacksonville. After serving as an assistant State Attorney for awhile, he formed a law firm with his brother Steve that became highly successful. Through the years, the Pajcic brothers have contributed large amounts of time and money to various charitable endeavors including very large amounts endowing scholarships, assisting education programs, and recently, a $100,000 gift to Warrick Dunn's "Homes for Holidays". Nor did Gary Pajcic forget his alma mater, FSU, as he has donated generously through the years to FSU causes.

Say a prayer for these two great Seminoles. We shall miss them.