Pastrana was born on November 20, 1944, in Annapolis, Maryland, to a father from Colombia and an American mother of Swiss ancestry.

[8] The following season, Lou Saban took over as head coach from Tom Nugent, and held open quarterback try-outs, which included everyone who had played the position in high school.

[1] Early in the season, Saban dismissed several players "not good enough to play for Maryland", including former starting quarterback Phil Petry, and the job went to Pastrana.

[10] After losses to Penn State and Syracuse, Pastrana led the underdog Maryland team to a surprising three-game winning streak over Duke, West Virginia, and South Carolina, which improbably placed the Terrapins atop the Atlantic Coast Conference and into the bowl game picture.

[12][13] Florida State routed Maryland in the season finale, 45–21, where Pastrana's passing accounted for all three Terrapin scores in a failed second-half comeback bid.

[15] After the season, Saban left to become head coach for the Denver Broncos and he was replaced by former Maryland All-American guard Bob Ward.

[16] In April 1967, Pastrana suffered a serious injury when he tore his medial collateral ligament and cartilage in his knee during a spring football practice.

[18] Pastrana returned for his final year of eligibility in 1968,[19] but had "only a mediocre season", although he "kept the team spirits high with his never-say-die attitude.

[15] During his collegiate career, Pastrana set the school record for season efficiency rating at 131.29 in 1966, which was broken by Bob Avellini in 1974.

[24] Against the San Diego Chargers, Pastrana drove the team to the opposing 35-yard line and within field goal range, but he was knocked unconscious and could not call a crucial timeout.

By the end of August, Pastrana made the cut to the final three, alongside Don Horn and Steve Ramsey, and was the only quarterback remaining on the team from the prior season.