Joseph Leroy Heath, Jr. "JoJo" (March 9, 1957 – December 30, 2002) was an American football

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

who played three years in the National Football League (NFL), three years in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and one year in the United States Football League (USFL).

Early life

The son of Joseph Leroy Heath, Sr. and Fannie Grogan Heath, JoJo grew up in Monessen, PA, a small city in Western Pennsylvania.

High school career

A star athlete for the Monessen Greyhounds, he was a three-year starter in football and basketball. He also excelled in track and field. JoJo was also skilled in martial art and held a Black Belt in Karate.

Recruiting

College career Highly sought-after by several Division I college football teams, JoJo was recruited by the Pittsburgh and played for Pitt from 1976 to 1979. Professional career In 1980, Heath was selected by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.

Death

He was stabbed to death on December 30, 2002, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania at age 45.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, JoJo 1957 births 2002 deaths American football defensive backs Canadian football defensive backs Pittsburgh Panthers football players Cincinnati Bengals players Philadelphia Eagles players Toronto Argonauts players BC Lions players Houston Gamblers players Ottawa Rough Riders players New York Jets players National Football League replacement players People murdered in Pennsylvania American murder victims Deaths by stabbing in Pennsylvania