Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame 2024: Pure talent was key to Kerry Joseph’s path to pros

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories on the 2024 inductees into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Induction festivities are June 20-22 in Natchitoches.

One word best describes Kerry Joseph: competitor.

That competitiveness has taken him across the globe where he’s won multiple pro football championships in both North America and Europe.

That competitiveness also helped him guide the McNeese State Cowboys to four of their greatest football seasons.

That competitiveness carried into a coaching career that started out as an intern with the New Orleans Saints, led to an offensive coordinator stint at McNeese, then back to the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and now as the quarterbacks coach with the Chicago Bears.

For his vast body of work, Joseph will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024 on June 22 in Natchitoches.

“This honor is very special to me because there are so many great people, athletes and coaches that have gone before me,” Joseph said. “I never once thought about this while playing, but it is a great reward for all the hard work, dedication and sacrifices that I made to accomplish my dreams. Most importantly, the sacrifices my mother, father and brothers made for me.”

His family and its sacrifices helped build and grow Joseph’s Hall of Fame career.

“I grew up in a competitive family, but a disciplined family,” the New Iberia native said. “I had to compete with my oldest brother, Kevin, and his friends. My younger brother, Kendall, kept me on my game because he always tried to win whenever we competed.”

That competitive drive began at the age of five when he participated in T-ball. At the age of 12, it was apparent how good he could be in both baseball and football.

But being that good took a lot of discipline, focus and dedication.

“I always had people to look up to and push me to be my absolute best,” Joseph said. “Our dad instilled a mentality in us to work hard and have dedication. We could never show signs of being tired when practicing or playing a game.”

He was a four-sport star at New Iberia, but football was always his No. 1 love.

“I always enjoyed playing football because I was able to play quarterback and have the ball in my hand,” he said.

At McNeese, Joseph threw for 7,874 yards and piled up 9,674 total yards while compiling a 43-10 record with two Southland Conference championships in 1993 and 1995. He also appeared in four FCS (then called Division I-AA) playoffs.

The 1995 season saw the Cowboys post an 11-0 regular-season record while being ranked No. 1 in national polls for most of the year.

Joseph ended his college career as the school record holder in most of the passing categories. Today, he still holds the record for most career touchdown passes at 67 while ranking second in passing yards and total offense.

His two-decade professional career, which saw him play in the NFL, CFL, NFL Europe and World League, began as a quarterback with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1996. In 1997, he was the slotback for the Washington Commanders (then Redskins).

He then switched to defense, playing safety for the Seattle Seahawks from 1998-2001 where he appeared in 56 games while making 14 starts.

He also played for the London Monarchs in 1997 and then the Rhein Fire in 1998 where as a quarterback, he led the team to the World Bowl Championship.

After his time playing in Seattle ended, he headed to Canada where he excelled at quarterback for four different teams starting with the Ottawa Renegades from 2003-05.

During his second season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2007, he led his team to the Grey Cup title after throwing for 4,002 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for another 737 yards and 13 scores.

He was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player for his efforts.

“Playing in the CFL was a great opportunity for me to play the position I love,” he said.