Joe Cocozzo (born August 7, 1970) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. He played professional football as an

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

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) for the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

from 1993 to 1997. He also 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 ...

as an offensive guard at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

from 1989 to 1992. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1992.

Early years

Cocozzo was born in Mechanicville, New York, in 1970. He attended

Mechanicville High School Mechanicville Jr./Sr. High School is a school located in Halfmoon, New York The school is part of the Mechanicville City School district and serves the district's sixth through 12th grades. In 2011, a merger occurred between the high school and the ...

. He was a star football player for the Mechanicville Red Raiders. His high school honored him at a 2013 ceremony in which his jersey (#77) was put on permanent display.

University of Michigan

Cocozzo enrolled at the

in 1988 and played

for the

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its ...

teams as an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

in 1989 and as an

from 1990 to 1992. He started 32 games at right guard -- eight in 1990, 12 in 1991, and 12 in 1992. Cocozzo played for the undefeated 1992 Michigan team that compiled a 9–0–3 record, won the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

championship, and defeated

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

in the

1993 Rose Bowl The 1993 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1993, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. In the 79th Rose Bowl; the #7 Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten, defeated the ninth-ranked Washington Huskies, c ...

. At the end of the 1992 season, he was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player and a first-team All-American. He also played in the 1993 Senior Bowl.

Professional football

Cocozzo was selected by the

in the third round (64th overall pick) of the

1993 NFL Draft The 1993 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 April 25–26, 1993, at the Marriot Ma ...

. In July 1993, he signed a three-year contract with the Chargers. He played five seasons for the Chargers from 1993 to 1997. He appeared in 77 NFL games, including 48 games as a starter. He started 13 regular season games at left guard for the

1994 San Diego Chargers The 1994 San Diego Chargers season was the team's 35th, its 25th in the National Football League (NFL), and its 34th in San Diego. It would be the first season the franchise would have involving long snapper David Binn. He would play 17 season ...

that won the AFC Championship Game, but lost

Super Bowl XXIX Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion San Diego Chargers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. He signed with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

as a free agent in June 1998. He injured his elbow during training camp and was cut with an injury settlement. After rehabilitating for a year, he went to training camp with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in 1999. He broke ribs on the first day of training camp when he was hit by a running back. He announced his official retirement before the 2000 season.

Later years

Cocozzo retired from football after suffering injuries, ultimately undergoing three operations on his left shoulder. When his playing career was over, he returned to Stillwater and purchased 350 acres adjacent to the Saratoga Battlefield. He later married Amanda Marshall. He and his wife have two sons, Anthony and James.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cocozzo, Joe 1970 births Living people American football offensive guards Michigan Wolverines football players San Diego Chargers players People from Mechanicville, New York Players of American football from New York (state)