Mike Paulas graduated from Jim Thorpe Area High School in 1966. During that time, he earned seven varsity letters in athletics three in football and four in baseball.

Paulas combined his passion for sports with his burning desire to compete and excel to become a key contributor in both sports.His success on the gridiron and the diamond make him a more than worthy inductee into the Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2015.In his senior football season (1965), Paulas paired with Ed Jordan (HOF 2014) as the two running backs led the team to a 6-2 overall record and the Panther Valley/Carbon County Championship, which was the first in Jim Thorpe Olympian football history.On offense, Paulas ran for 444 yards, scored 48 points and threw two touchdown passes. On defense, he led the team in interceptions and the Evening Record named him the best defensive back in the area.He lettered in baseball every one of his four years at Jim Thorpe and continued his baseball career after high school, playing for the U.S. Army team in Germany from 1968-1971. After leaving the military, Paulas enrolled in Lehigh-Carbon Community College and played baseball there for two years where he was named All-Conference in the Eastern Pennsylvania Community College Division.Paulas began officiating basketball and while doing that he turned his focus to golf where he was the Blue Ridge Super-Senior Club Champion in 2009 and 2013.The 26th Annual Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame Banquet will be held at the Jim Thorpe Memorial Hall on August 15, 2015. A cocktail hour will begin at 5 p.m., Dinner starts at 6 p.m., and the Induction Ceremony at 7:15 p.m. Entertainment will begin at the conclusion of the Induction Ceremony, which will be at approximately 8:30 p.m. The cost will $35 per person and includes dinner, selected drinks and entertainment.Tickets for the Induction Ceremony and the rest of the evening can be obtained by calling Jack Kmetz at 570-325-4923, Craig Zurn at 570-325-3855/3631, Ron Sheehan at 570-325-4244 or Wilmer Redline at 570-325-3073.This is the second installment on the Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Last week the 1959 baseball team was featured.In the upcoming weeks, the Times News will highlight the other Class of 2015 inductees: Genia Cooper, Ryan Bennick, Josh Hontz and Philip Redline.