Juan Joseph (August 26, 1987 – November 16, 2014) was a professional

Arena football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

who also played American and

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

. He last played for the

Lafayette Wildcatters The Lafayette Wildcatters were a professional indoor football team based in Lafayette, Louisiana and a charter member of the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL). They played their home games at the Cajundome, the Wildcatters are Lafayette's s ...

of the

Southern Indoor Football League The Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom ...

(SIFL). He was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2009. He played college football for the Millsaps Majors. He was also a member of the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in ...

Early years

Joseph attended West Saint John Parish High School in

Edgard, Louisiana Edgard is a census-designated place (CDP) in, and the parish seat of, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,637 at the 2000 census and 1,948 in 2020. It is part of the New Orleans– Metairie– Kenn ...

, where he was a member of the Rams 2003 and 2004 Class 2A State Championship teams. While in high school, he was a teammate of future

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

and NFL players Tyson Jackson and

Quinn Johnson Quinn Marcus Johnson (born September 30, 1986) is a former American football fullback (American football), fullback. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Johnson was a part of the Packers' Super Bowl X ...

. In high school, he played baseball, basketball and football, trying out for the football team in his sophomore year.

College career

Joseph played collegiately for the

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webste ...

Majors of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

. He was offered a full scholarship at Alcorn State University, but chose Millsaps because he wanted to attain a degree from a school with a nationally recognized business program. In 2005, his first year at Millsaps, Joseph split playing time as a backup quarterback. The Majors finished 2–7 on the year. As a sophomore in 2006, Joseph led a resurgence of the Majors' struggling program, under the tutelage of new head coach

Mike DuBose Michael Lynn DuBose (born January 5, 1953) is an American football coach, most recently serving for Opp High School in Opp, Alabama. His most recent college coaching experience was serving as defensive line coach for the University of Memphis. Du ...

, formerly the head coach of the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

. The Majors finished with a 7–4 record (6–0 in conference play), claiming the program's third SCAC title and second-ever playoff berth. Joseph was named the conference's player of the year. In 2007, Joseph again led the Majors to a SCAC title, the team finishing with an 8–2 record. He was again named the conference's player of the year. As a senior in 2008, Joseph led the Majors to the second best season in the program's history. The team finished 11–1 and ranked #12 nationally in th
D3football.com
poll, after peaking at #3 during the season. Joseph was for the third consecutive year the SCAC player of the year. He also won the

Conerly Trophy The C Spire Conerly Trophy is an award given annually to the best college football player in the state of Mississippi by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Voting Sixty media representatives from across Mississippi determine the Trophy recipie ...

, given annually to the best college football player in the state of

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, edging out fellow finalists and future first-round

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

selections

Michael Oher Michael Jerome Oher (; né Williams Jr.; born May 28, 1986) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at t ...

and

Peria Jerry Peria Edward Jerry (; born August 23, 1984) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Mississippi. Jerry reti ...

. He was also a finalist for the

Gagliardi Trophy The Gagliardi Trophy was first presented in 1993 to the Outstanding Division III college football player of the year by the Jostens Company and the J-Club of Saint John's University in Minnesota. Since that time, the award has become one of the ...

. Joseph played in 38 games for the Majors from 2005 to 2008, amassing 9,295 passing yards (244.6/game) and 87 passing touchdowns (2.3/game) compared to 27 interceptions, and completing 814 of 1,283 pass attempts (63.4%). He also rushed for 537 yards and 8 touchdowns on 161 attempts. During his tenure, the Majors accumulated a 28–14 overall win–loss record, including a 20–6 record in conference play, three SCAC title's and two playoff appearances. Joseph's priority while at college was not to play professionally. A good student, he admitted it would be nice, but this was not one of his goals.

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Edmonton Eskimos

Joseph was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos in March 2009.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Joseph was traded to the

for

Kitwana Jones Kitwana Shaloyd Jones (born July 7, 1981) is a former Canadian football defensive end. He was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Jones has also played professionally for the Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Al ...

on May 15, 2009. He was cut on June 25, 2009.

Lafayette Wildcatters

Joseph joined the

two days prior to the start of the 2010 SIFL season. The team began the year 1–4 before Joseph became the starter. With Joseph at the helm, the team soared to a 5–1 turnaround, achieving a winning season and a playoff berth.

Death

In the early morning hours of November 16, 2014, Joseph attempted to de-escalate a verbal altercation between two groups of men outside of the Allure nightclub in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Joseph's efforts were unsuccessful, and he was shot twice in the torso. He succumbed to his injuries after being taken to nearby Baton Rouge Hospital. Before his death, Joseph was an assistant football coach at West St. John High School in

Family

Joseph was married with a young daughter and a second child due just weeks after his death.Young, Renita
"West St. John High School community to honor fallen football coach at Friday's playoff game."
NOLA.com. 18 November 2014. His younger brother, Dray Joseph, was also a quarterback at West Saint John, and played collegiately for Southern University, where he became the school's all-time leading passer with 8,745 yards and 73 touchdowns,Dray Joseph – Southern University Jaguars – College Football – Rivals.com
/ref> and led the Jaguars to a 9–4 record and a SWAC championship as a senior in 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Juan 1987 births 2014 deaths American football quarterbacks Canadian football quarterbacks Millsaps Majors football players Edmonton Elks players Saskatchewan Roughriders players High school football coaches in Louisiana People from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana People from Edgard, Louisiana Players of American football from Louisiana African-American coaches of American football African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football Deaths by firearm in Louisiana People murdered in Louisiana 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American sportspeople Murdered African-American people Male murder victims