There have been many brother acts in sports, such as the Sutters in hockey, the Alomars in baseball, the Unsers in auto racing, and so on. Football has also had its noted sibling connections, with the Fluties, Jauchs, Boykos and Zizakovics inhabiting a CFL field at one time or another. Pretty soon, the Partchenkos may join that list.
An intimidating trio from Etobicoke, the Partchenko brothers (Greg, Peter and John) dominated the offensive line at Michael Power High School for years, achieving near legendary status at the renowned Catholic football powerhouse. While oldest brother Greg went on to play junior football with Burlington, the next two in line earned top-flight U.S. scholarships: Peter at Michigan State and John at rival Michigan. While John is about to enter his junior year with the Wolverines and is a future CFL prospect, Peter graduated from the Spartans in 1992, and joined the Argos a year later.
"A lot of veterans retired and a lot of journeymen were brought in," recalled Partchenko about his rookie season, as he had to learn the ropes quickly on a 3-and-15 squad. "The team didn't do too well, but the camaraderie was there."
Partchenko's exposure to the high pressure atmosphere of big-time NCAA Division I football, where he regularly played in front of crowds of 60,000 people and more, obviously helped in the transition to the pro ranks, particularly during the tough first season. "It taught me to perservere, and it builds your character, definitely," said Partchenko, who was nicknamed "Bart" at Michigan State.
A tougher transition awaited him going from high school to college, but when you're competing against brothers your whole life that are bigger than most of your teammates, much of the preparation was already in place. "Mentally, I was ready because I had a sense of a work ethic," said Partchenko, a 6-foot-4, 285 pound behemoth, whose mother deserves a medal for hard work as well for having to feed the three of them. "But it was definitely a different world."
A world that Canadian schools cannot possibly match, nor should they try to. "There's a cycle there, it's part of their social culture," said Partchenko. "The revenues produced down there sustain their program, and we just don't have that here."
Speaking of revenues, Partchenko deals with them everyday now at his new job as an auditer with the accounting firm B.D.O. Dunwoody in Mississauga. He still lives in Etobicoke with his girlfriend Lee-Anne.
This page, and all contents, are Copyright © 1996 by Toronto Argonauts Football Club, Toronto, Canada.