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

Arena football Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American or Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standard North American ice hockey rink, an ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

who also played American and

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

. He last played for the Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL). He was signed by the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 2009. 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 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 19 ...

Early life

Joseph attended West Saint John Parish High School in

Edgard, Louisiana Edgard is a census-designated place (CDP) in, and the county seat, parish seat of, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,637 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 cens ...

, 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 and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

and NFL players Tyson Jackson and Quinn Johnson. 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 college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded ...

Majors of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

's Division III. He was offered a full scholarship at

Alcorn State University Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. ...

, 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, formerly the head coach of the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

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

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, edging out fellow finalists and future first-round

NFL Draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

selections Michael Oher and Peria Jerry. He was also a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy. 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.

College statistics

Professional career

Edmonton Eskimos

Joseph was signed by the

in March 2009.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Joseph was traded to the

for Kitwana Jones on May 15, 2009. He was cut on June 25, 2009.

Lafayette Wildcatters

Joseph joined the Lafayette Wildcatters 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.

Personal life

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 Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It i ...

, where he became the school's all-time leading passer with 8,745 yards and 73 touchdowns, and led the Jaguars to a 9–4 record and a SWAC championship as a senior in 2013.

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

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 Edgard, Louisiana Players of American football from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Players of Canadian football from Louisiana African-American coaches of American football Deaths by firearm in Louisiana People murdered in Louisiana 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen Murdered African-American people Indoor American football players 2014 murders in the United States