Joseph Madsen (born September 1, 1989) is an arena football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. 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 ...

at West Virginia. He was originally signed by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

as an undrafted free agent.

High school career

Madsen attended Chardon High School where he played both

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 ...

and

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. While at Chardon he recorded 59 total tackles, five sacks, 18 tackles-for-loss and forced four

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

s. During his sophomore season, Chardon reached the Ohio Reginal Finals where they lost to Nordonia. As a senior, he was selected First-team All-Ohio as an offensive tackle.

College career

Madsen attended West Virginia. While there he started 50 games and earned Second-team-All Big XII as a senior and appeared in the

2013 Senior Bowl The 2013 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2012 college football season, and prospects for the 2013 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The 64th edition of the Senior Bo ...

. He redshirt as a true freshman in 2008. In 2009, he started 13 games and 12 in 2010. In 2011, he started 13 games and was named All-Big East Second-team. As a senior, in 2012, he started 12 games, however, he was ruled academically ineligible for the Pinstripe Bowl. He was also named All-Big XII Second-team.

Professional career

Pre-draft

At the West Virginia Pro Day, Madsen chose not to re-attempt his 40-yard dash. However, he did re-attempt some other drills. He recorded a 27-inch vertical leap and an 8-foot-10 broad jump. In the running drills, Madsen ran a 4.86 short shuttle and a 7.58 second three-cone shuttle.

National Football League

On April 27, 2013, after going undrafted, Madsen was signed by the

. On January 3, 2015 Madsen was signed by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

to their

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. On May 4, he was released by the Packers. On June 22, he was signed by the Cleveland Browns. He was signed when Tyler Loos informed the team he was retiring. He was released on August 16. On August 26, he was then signed by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. He was released on September 5, 2015.

Arena Football League

After being released by the Steelers on August 31, 2013, he joined the Los Angeles Kiss for the 2014 season. For the season he appeared in 16 games and recorded one tackle as well as one reception for eight yards. He started the 2015 season, however, he was signed by the Browns and was placed on the other league exempt list. He became an AFL free agent on November 5. Later that month, he joined the Cleveland Gladiators. On May 22, 2017, Madsen was placed on reassignment by the Gladiators. On May 23, 2017, Madsen was claimed off waivers by the Washington Valor. On July 15, 2017, Madsen was placed on reassignment.

Personal life

Madsen was born to Eric and Reta Madsen. He has three older siblings. Madsen currently resides in Twinsburg, Ohio.