The club was established in 1948 as part of the SD Pazin
sports society. They spent the next few decades in relative obscurity contesting
Istrian regional league competitions within the
Yugoslav league system. In 1970 the club was renamed NK Pazinka, after the local textile factory which began sponsoring the club. Notable players who appeared for Pazinka during this spell included
Dado Pršo (later with
AS Monaco and
Rangers),
Tonči Gabrić (later with
Hajduk Split),
Zoran Škerjanc (formerly of
Dinamo Zagreb and
Recreativo Huelva) and
Damir Desnica (one of the very few
deaf professional footballers, formerly with
Rijeka and
Kortrijk). The club then spent several seasons playing second-level football before slipping further down to
third level in the 1997–98 season, which also coincided with the bankruptcy of the Pazinka textile factory. After spending a few years struggling to stay in third level they slipped down to fourth level in 2003 and then again to fifth level in 2004. However, Pazinka won the fifth level Istria Group and earned promotion back to 4. HNL in 2007–08. ==References==