Vance Talks About Mickey's Opportunity

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From a couple years ago -​

A family affair: The Josephs offer insight on coaching, training in Zoom teleconference set for Saturday​

The Joseph family, all Archbishop Shaw alums, have made their mark in the world of sports. Clockwise from top left are: Vance Joseph (defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals); Mickey Joseph (receivers coach at LSU); Sammy Joseph (running backs coach at Nicholls State); Derrick Joseph (sports trainer in New Orleans); and Terry Joseph (defensive backs coach at Notre Dame).

Vance Joseph, an Archbishop Shaw alum, is defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals.

Terry Joseph, an Archbishop Shaw alum, is defensive backs coach at Notre Dame.

Mickey Joseph, an Archbishop Shaw alum, is receivers coach at LSU.

Sammy Joseph, an Archbishop Shaw alum, is running backs coach at Nicholls State.

Derrick Joseph, an Archbishop Shaw alum, is a sports performance trainer at Dee Joe Fitness in New Orleans.

BY ROD WALKER | STAFF WRITER

• MAY 14, 2020 - 6:11 PM

It won't be quite like one of their typical family gatherings in Marrero.
But for the five branches on the Joseph family's strong coaching tree, it'll be the next-best thing.
The Josephs — Mickey (LSU receivers coach), Vance (Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator), Sammy (Nicholls State running back), Terry (Notre Dame defensive backs coach) and Derrick (sports trainer in New Orleans) — will hold a round table discussion via Zoom teleconference at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The purpose of the forum is to give others an inside look and learn from one of Louisiana's most notable football families.
"It'll definitely be like a family reunion," Derrick said. "Obviously with our jobs it's hard for us to get together and talk like this. So it will be a good opportunity for us to be together and share our stories that we have lived through. Just being on the west bank and the name Joseph being so big, I think people want to see how we live and what we went through to be where we are."
The free conference, for coaches, athletic leaders and those aspiring to work in sports, is put together by TheeCyle.org. It's the organization's third teleconference since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The first one was called "Coaching During a Crisis."
This latest one came about when Alvianne Brule', founder of TheeCycle.org, pitched the idea to Mickey Joseph. He agreed and helped round up the rest of the crew.
Mickey, Vance and Sammy are brothers. Their first cousins, Terry and Derrick, are brothers. They have another cousin, Chris, who is the offensive line coach at West Jefferson High School.
While they all share the same last name, they also share a deep love for sports. It's something they were passionate about from an early age before all going on to play a little bit of everything at Archbishop Shaw High School and then on the next level. So all five working in sports really shouldn't come as a surprise.
"It kinda started with Mickey," said Sammy, in his third season at Nicholls. "Mickey's the oldest, and he sorta paved the way for everybody. He started off at Shaw, and we all followed him to Shaw. And with us all being around football our whole life, it just felt like a natural transition after playing ball."

Mickey Joseph was named Louisiana's Gatorade Player of the Year and a first-team Parade All-American at Shaw in 1987 before playing at the University of Nebraska.
"Mickey was kind of the blueprint for all of us," Sammy said. "He showed us what it takes as far as just getting to know people and how to do it."
But the ones who laid the foundation before the blue print were their fathers.
Robert Joseph (or "Nunnie," as most call Mickey, Vance and Sammy's father) and Terry Sr. (Terry and Derrick's dad) really helped jump-start this journey.
"They were our first coaches," Sammy said. "So it's not like we jumped into it. We had a model with our dads. They didn't coach high school or college, but they spent a lot of time with us in the neighborhood. So that was the first coaching we saw. When you're coaching at the playground, you don't get paid for that. So they were just some dudes who wanted to spend time with the kids and took on that role."
Now the Josephs have kept it going, with one reaching the highest level in the profession. Vance spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons as head coach of the Denver Broncos. And Mickey Joseph just helped LSU win a national title in a record-setting season in which one of his players, Ja'Marr Chase, won the Biletnikoff Award as the country's top receiver.
Their jobs keep them pretty busy, but they all stay in touch in a group text on their cell phones. On Saturday, they'll all hang out together on a Zoom teleconference.
"We always joke that somebody needs to get a head job so we can spend some time together," Sammy said. "So this will be fun. We can share our story."
To register for Saturday's free Zoom round table with the Joseph family, go to: www.TheeCycle.org.