Joe Earl Bostic Jr. (born April 20, 1957) 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 an

offensive lineman 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 ( ...

, primarily at

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 ...

, for 11 seasons with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals of 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 was the Cardinals' third-round selection in the

1979 NFL draft The 1979 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria ...

. He played high school football at Ben L. Smith High School and

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

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Divis ...

. He is the older brother of fellow NFL player

Jeff Bostic Jeffrey Lynn Bostic (born September 18, 1958) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers. Named to t ...

. Bostic was inducted into the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame in 2023. He has also previously been inducted into the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame (2008), South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame (2000), North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (2015), and the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame (1996).

References

1957 births Living people American football offensive linemen St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Phoenix Cardinals players Clemson Tigers football players 20th-century American sportsmen {{offensive-lineman-1950s-stub