ORCHARD LAKE — Where do you start telling the story about a G.O.A.T.?
We could start at the conclusion, a celebration on Sept. 17 of Jim Paciorek as the “Greatest Of All Time” in the 100-plus years of the athletic annals of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep.
But then, you’d miss out on how and why Paciorek was accorded, and earned, such a prestigious honor.
So, we’ll start at the very beginning, June 7, 1960, when he was born, the youngest of eight siblings, five brothers and three sisters. They grew up in the largely Polish neighborhood of Transfiguration Parish on Detroit’s near northeast side.
“Well, I was a lot younger than everybody else,” Jim says. “I don't even think I played on the same team with my brothers. I knew everything was going to be sports because I just followed what they did and it was pretty simple for me really. There was no choice but to play street sports and just whatever the season was, just do that.”
Brothers John and Tom were outstanding athletes at Hamtramck St. Ladislaus High School.
In his senior year in 1962, John Paciorek agreed to a $45,000 contract with the American League Houston Colt .45s. On Sept. 29 a year later, on the last day of the season, he made his major league debut, went 3-for-3 with two walks and four runs-batted-in. Subsequent back surgery ended his major league career with a 1.000 batting average and on-base percentage. Some 94 players have 1-for-1 or 2-for-2 1.000 averages in major league history, but no one else with 3 at bats.
Tom Paciorek spent 18 seasons (1972-1987) in Major League Baseball with the Dodgers, Braves, Mariners, White Sox, Mets and Rangers. With the Mariners at age 34, he batted .326 (second best in the American League) with 14 home runs and 66 RBI in 104 games. He served as a broadcaster for 20 years after retiring as a player, most notably for 12 years with the White Sox.
Mike Paciorek broke the connection with St. Ladislaus and enrolled at St. Mary’s, where he starred on the basketball court, his 1,389 points eighth highest in school history. He played for five years in the Dodgers minor league system.
Jim Paciorek impacted the St. Mary’s sports scene from the beginning. About football coach Art Paddy, Paciorek said, “He was unbelievable. We had a lot of success. We worked hard because of that hide-the-ball offense. We worked on it every day.”
There was no hiding Paciorek, however. He scored 27 touchdowns his senior year and the Eaglets went undefeated 12-0 and romped over Iron River-West Iron County, 48-12, for the 1977 state Class C championship. On the football field, Jim was a three-time First Team Kodak All-American and was named the UPI Player of the Year for the State of Michigan.
Paciorek earned 14 varsity letters, competing in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He was a two-time basketball honoree, helping lead St. Mary's follow up its gridiron success with a 27-0 state Class C basketball championship. On the baseball diamond, he earned honors three times.
Michigan coach Bo Schembechler recruited Paciorek as a quarterback but moved him to tight end for his sophomore year after watching him run receiver routes while warming up.
But it was on the baseball diamond where his collegiate career became truly historic. Paciorek's .375 career batting average and .443 mark in 1982 (when he had 17 homers and 65 RBI) are both second all-time at Michigan, and he also ranks high with 183 RBI, 32 homers, 14 triples and 162 runs for his career. He never batted lower than .366 in one season.
His accomplishments ultimately earned him a place among Michigan baseball’s all-time greats, and in 2020, he became just the fifth Michigan baseball player inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor.
Paciorek was chosen in the eighth round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982. He spent most of his career in the minor leagues but played 48 major league games in 1987 (.218, 2 home runs, 10 RBI).
Paciorek had traveled to Japan during his college years to play in the Japanese college baseball league. He chose to enter the professional ranks with the Yokohama Taivo Whales and Hanshin Tigers. In six seasons (1988-1993), he batted .315, hit 86 homers and drove in 431 runs.
“That was exciting,” Paciorek said. “A little bit different, but it’s the same game, but being in a foreign country and dealing with certain things, but I liked it actually. The language is tough, but we always had interpreters. I learned enough to order off a menu or get home in a taxi.”
Home for the past 20 years for him and his wife, Linda, has been the Tucson, Arizona, area after moving from the state of Washington with its “cold, rainy winters, but the summers were beautiful.” They have four children and nine grandkids from previous marriages. “They're all over the country so we do a lot of traveling and a lot of fun.”
“Sports is everything,” Paciorek mused. “I think everybody should play some sport. It teaches you competition, hard work. I wouldn't know what to do without it really.”
At his level: “Well, it just takes a lot of hard work if you want to make it to the top. Watching, learning, listening to your coach, working hard and doing your best.”
And that’s how you can become a G.O.A.T.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
