Athletic greatness comes in all shapes and all sizes.

It doesn't come naturally, but is achieved from hard work diligence and adversity along the journey.

There's opportunity and there's always struggle.

There is triumph and there is defeat.

And there is always a story behind the glory.

When looking back at the career of Kerry Joseph, it quickly becomes apparent that he has accomplished so much from starring in high school and college and enjoying success in in several professional leagues to coaching in the NFL Colleagues, friends, and fans, recall the talent he displayed.

I brought a 12 year old All-Star baseball team to Iberia Parish to face their All-Stars, and Kerry Joseph was on the mound It█s a day I'll never forget when somebody strikes out, 15 of your batters.

You never forget that.

I remember covering a game against Comeaux and I had heard about them, but I had not seen an arm quite like his.

And as a high school thrower around here, for sure.

players were drawn to him naturally.

He's a great human being.

He was easy to coach.

Was a great person and and really cared a lot and and really cared a lot about being great for his teammates and for his team.

What a career you've had.

Kerry Joseph, a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.

But how you got there?

To me, is one of the most amazing stories I've ever seen in sports.

Your versatility.

I'm going to start in high school.

A javelin state champion, a discus state champion.

Who does that?

Well, Kerry Joseph was blessed to be able to do that.

It's not something I thought about growing up, but, you know what with the talent and the gift that God has given me, I was able to turn that into a skill and utilize it to help my schools and my teams.

but can you recall the Friday nights in small town Louisiana, small town America?

The entire community rallies around New Iberia.

Everything that everybody's thinking about that day leading up to the game is culminated on that Friday night.

Does that still exist in small town America?

Have we gotten beyond that?

Have we somehow corrupted the game and made it more professional on the high school level?

I don't think it's the same now.

I think it has been corrupted as to some point.

I think the game has changed, from the high school level to the collegiate level.

I can still remember the games that I played in at Lloyd G. Porter Stadium and I still remember looking outside the fence and see people that didn't get inside.

Watching the game from outside.

I still remember watching a legendary Johnny Hector and hearing his name from home when he carried the football.

An announcer by the name of Cliff Aucoin.

You know, with the Hector carries.

I remember those moments.

I wanted to be that guy in that stadium.

I don't think it's the same now.

I think is is similar, but I don't think is the same.

I think it has changed.

It's a part of Americana though, isn't it, that that I hope never gets lost.

It is, it is.

It is definitely a part of it.

You know, a lot of the young kids today don't understand the magnitude of Friday night in New Iberia, Louisiana.

It was special.

Those moments are never go away.

Those moments I would always cherish.

And I try to share it with the younger generation so they can have a feeling of it.

You know, when you think about New Iberia, that where I'm from is two high schools now, including three including, New Iberia Catholic High.

It was only two at the time.

So those moments, man It was golden.

You know, it was.

We live for Friday night football in New Iberia, Louisiana.

The New Iberia native splashed on to the college scene and left McNeese as perhaps the top quarterback in school history.

Was the Nicholls State game, He comes and scores two touchdowns.

We win.

And then he started every game out of that.

Or almost four years.

Leading the Cowboys to 43 wins 2 Southland Conference titles And a division 1, AA semifinal appearance in 1995.

He threw for over 7,500 yards and 67 touchdowns.

our punter had gotten hurt, so Kerry had to punt, and they snapped it over his head.

So he went back and got the football, and he pointed it from, like, the ten yard line, and it went all the way to the other 12.

Kerry was just an amazing athlete and like, there was no task that was too big for Kerry Joe's for all for a ball.

The I█ve seen him throw the football the length of the football field Joseph was the Southland and Louisiana player of the year in 1995. as the Cowboys posted a 13-1 record and earned the #1 National ranking In reading about you and and looking back on your career.

You speak reverently about the influence of family.

Yeah.

You know, I can still think back to just when I talk about my mom and my dad.

Just my dad as a young kid, just coaching me.

You know how hard he pushed me.

Just thinking about those moment that the competitor that he was building with.

Did he allow you to fail?

He did.

He did.

Allowed me to fail.

But he was hard on me.

You know, he was hard on me to the point where, you know, playing better basketball.

I walked off the court because I felt he was too hard on me, but he was building a competitor within me.

And then my brothers, my cousins, I have a bunch of cousins that really challenged me growing up because I was really the baby until baby brother came along where I had to compete and they would not let me quit.

They continue to push me because they saw the greatness in me.

And like you said, my dad allowed me to fail because he knew failure was going to help us to gain success.

Joseph's professional career would see a hodgepodge of stops and positions other than quarterback.

He went to Cincinnati Bengals as a quarterback.

We went to the Redskins as a running back.

From there he went to the World League, played safety and of getting picked up by the Seahawks and then he sat out a year coaching, In 2003, Joseph would find his way back to quarterback when he joined the Canadian Football League.

This football weather.

Oh, man, I love it.

It's how it is in Louisiana.

We just don't wear these ski masks in Louisiana.

It was here where his talent would shine at the highest level.

The Canadian Football League All-Star was the most outstanding player when he ran and passed the Saskatchewan Roughriders to the Gray Cup championship in 2007.

Kerry obviously was supremely talented as an athlete.

He was big and strong.

He was a great runner, had a great arm.

plays on the drive.

Five passes.

Another here.

Watch.

Did you see the And to lead that team in a way that that brought dignity not only to himself.

Most important to his to his team, his teammates.

Rough riders come back to Toronto and win.

You have a strong affinity still for the part of the world you grew up in.

New Iberia, the Lafayette area.

Cajun country.

And you've been all over the world competing in various events and for other, other things.

What part of Louisiana did you take with you throughout your career?

I think I just took really New Iberia.

Just everything that I saw growing up.

The people that I was a positive influence with me.

You know, when you really think about me getting introduced to football at the age of five by Danny Faucheax, who is a, holiday sporting goods owner.

Good friend.

Another family.

I really took that with me.

And then as I left, I took Louisiana with me.

I took my family name with me and wanted to represent not only my family name, but also the state.

Because.

Why?

Why?

I felt that if I go out and was able to be successful the next generation, the next kid can see that.

You know what?

I can make it out of New Iberia.

Also.

You know, Kerry when you were playing in high school and you had tremendous, success there, the New Iberia High School Hall of Fame, the McNeese Hall of Fame, Southland Conference Hall of Fame, Saskatchewan Plaza of Honor, Louisiana player of the year at McNeese, twice all Southland Conference SLC rookie of the year four NCAA football playoffs.

Who does that?

Yeah.

You know what?

Now that you saying all that I know, I know that I accomplished a lot.

You know, and I have to contribute a lot to the coaches that coached me.

My teammates that I play with.

You know, is a lot of people that are sitting here with me right now that, deserve this honor because of the fact that I couldn't do it alone.

Man, what a awesome journey.

What an awesome ride that is.

Kerry Joseph█s story and is it is awesome.

Joseph is a member of the McNeese State University and Southland Conference Halls of Fame, the CFL Roughriders Hall of Honor, and was part of McNeese is 75th anniversary squad in 2018.

After coaching with the Seattle Seahawks.

He presently serves as quarterback coach with the Chicago Bears.

You've been an assistant coach at colleges and were fairly recently named the quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Bears, where you get to tutor the number one draft pick, Caleb Williams.

What an awesome responsibility.

What's what's your feeling on that?

I feel good about it.

It's a blessing to have a guy like that be drafted number one, to be able to coach him.

He's coming into a great organization.

So just to have that responsibility and that challenge to help tudor him, to help him grow as a NFL player.

I look forward to it.

Once again, is that competitive drive right?

Is how can I be the best quarterback coach in the NFL?

One out of 32 to help that young man chase his dreams, now accomplish everything that he wants to set out to accomplish for himself, but also for the team.

He could be head coach or were in the professional ranks.

We knew he had a special ability.

He's a winner.

He's always been a winner.

Just an amazing journey for amazing person.

I'm a big fan.

Of course.

I'm a true friend.

And I love you.

My brother.

All of these accolades made Joseph worthy of an addition to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.

You know, I'm going to repeat myself.

Your career has been remarkable.

The things that you have done, not only in football, but in coaching and other sports.

High school.

College, professionally?

And you certainly are deserving of the enrollment in the 2024 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

It's, It's a special moment.

Glad to be here.

Be here to be able to share it with my family.

Friends, some former teammates.

Coaches, and I know my dad is is is up in heaven watching down smiling right now.

Sometimes I got to sit down and pinch myself.

You know, the career I had.

The different places that the game of football and sports have taken me.

It's just been awesome, you know, to be here and now.

And as I reflect back on everything that I've been able to accomplish, man, God has been good.

If you enjoyed this conversation.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum has exhibits and stories about Louisiana's sports greats.

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