Davin Joseph (born November 22, 1983) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

, and was selected by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

in the first round of the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...

with the 23rd overall pick. A two-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

er, Joseph also played for the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

Early life

Joseph was born in Hallandale Beach,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and is of Haitian descent. He played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

at Hallandale High School. While there he was a four-year starter at both

and

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

and played in a school-record 532 plays. During his senior year, he was the

Broward County Broward County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Florida, United States, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the List of the most ...

Defensive Player of the Year and was awarded All-State after recording 100

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

and 24 sacks. He was also a two-time 2A state and a national

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

champion at heavyweight in Florida.

College career

Joseph played

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. During his freshman year, he was named Freshman All-

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

by ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

''. As a senior, he was a consensus First-team All-Big 12 selection. He finished his career playing in 50 games with 29 starts at guard and 11 starts at left tackle.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Joseph was drafted by the

in the first round with the 23rd overall pick in the

. During his rookie season, he started 12 of 13 games at right guard. In his second season in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

he became a full-time starter, starting all 16 games at right guard for the Buccaneers. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl after the 2008 season as a substitute. On July 28, 2011, Joseph agreed to terms with the "Bucs" on a seven-year, $53 million contract including $19 million guaranteed. He was selected to his second Pro Bowl during the 2011 season. In the third preseason game against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

in 2012, Joseph hurt his knee when teammate

Donald Penn Donald Ward Penn II (born April 27, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah State Aggies, and was sign ...

blocked defensive end Chandler Jones into his knee. Joseph was later placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Joseph was released by Tampa Bay on March 8, 2014.

St. Louis Rams

Joseph signed with the

on May 28, 2014.

Philanthropy

In 2011, Davin Joseph established the Davin Joseph Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization devoted to enhancing the athletic and performing arts programs in three Title-One public schools in Tampa and Hallandale, Florida, respectively.

Awards

Davin Joseph has won several awards such as: * 2015 Rainbow Push Community Service Award * Induction in the

Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame (2013) * Byron "Whizzer" White Award (2012) * City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, and its mayor proclaimed July 12–14 forever recognized as Davin Joseph Football Week (2012) * Featuring on Fox13, Tampa's local news station for "What's Good in Tampa Bay?" segment (2012) * Cover story in ''Focus Magazine'', recognizing his commitment to the community of

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

(2011)

References

External links

*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio

St. Louis Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Davin 1983 births Living people American football offensive guards American sportspeople of Haitian descent Hallandale High School alumni National Conference Pro Bowl players Oklahoma Sooners football players Sportspeople from Hallandale Beach, Florida St. Louis Rams players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Players of American football from Broward County, Florida