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

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

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 ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

, and was selected by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

in the first round of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League 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 ad ...

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 (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

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 from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

Early years

Joseph was born in

Hallandale, Florida Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 20 ...

, and is of

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

an descent. He played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

Hallandale High School Hallandale High School is a public high school and magnet school located in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The school is a part of the Broward County Public Schools district and was established in 1973. It serves: Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Park, a ...

. 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, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

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

Broward County Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 ...

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 position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking up ...

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

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

champion at heavyweight in Florida.

College career

Joseph played

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

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

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...

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 pr ...

''. 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 that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

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. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in 2012, Joseph hurt his knee when teammate

Donald Penn Donald Ward Penn (born April 27, 1983) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at Utah State Aggies, Utah State, and was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Penn has also played f ...

blocked defensive end

Chandler Jones Chandler James Jones (born February 27, 1990) is an American football defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Syracuse, and was selected by the New England Patriots in the firs ...

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.St. Louis Rams Sign Davin Joseph
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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 Broward County 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 (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 People from Hallandale Beach, Florida St. Louis Rams players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Players of American football from Broward County, Florida