Chuck Pavlich was not only one of the best football linemen to ever come out of the area but was one of West Michigan’s toughest individuals. The son of immigrant parents who settled in Egelston Township, Pavlich was a burly 195-pound lineman at Muskegon High School in 1938 and 1939.  He proved his toughness by winning the West Michigan Golden Gloves boxing championship in 1941.  Later that year, with World War II raging in Europe, Pavlich joined the Marines.  He went on to become one of the area’s most decorated war heroes, serving in both WWII and the Korean War.

In between serving his country, Pavlich continued to make his mark in sports.  In fact, en route to battle in the South Pacific aboard the USS North Carolina, Pavlich won the ship’s heavyweight boxing championship.  Pavlich played guard for the St. Mary’s pre-flight team out of Santa Clara, Calif., between his war duties, and in 1945 became the only non-college player ever to be invited to play for the College All-Stars in the annual game against the professional football champions in Chicago.

His talents caught the eye of the San Francisco 49ers, a team in the newly-formed All-American Football League, where he started at guard before his football career was cut short by a ruptured disc in his back.  Recalled to active duty by the Marines in 1952, Pavlich flew more than 100 missions over Korea as a Corsair pilot with the “Devilcats.”  He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.