Tom Pacholl, St. Thomas alum and current St. Paul resident, is one of the last two surviving members of the 1948 football team that was honored on Oct. 28 during halftime of the football game. Anne Murphy at My Villager sat down to speak with him about his experiences as a player and as a fan.
From the story:
A graduate of then Cretin High School, Pacholl postponed his postsecondary education to serve in the armed forces during World War II. That was before the construction of O’Shaughnessy Stadium. The Tommies were playing their games in an open field where the stadium now stands.
“The war was winding down when I went into the service,” Pacholl said. “I didn’t go overseas, but I learned that when you face real consequences, things change. You become more practical and appreciate things more.”
St. Thomas was the logical choice for Pacholl’s collegiate career because of its academics. “Plus, I wanted to play football, and at St. Thomas you weren’t competing with as many players to earn a spot on the team,” Pacholl said. “There were players with the same talents as yours.”
