Local flavour to the Super Bowl
SA-born Greg Joseph hoping to catapult his career towards gridiron stardom in Super Bowl.
While many South Africans may have little more than a passing interest in the Super Bowl, there will be good reason to watch this weekend’s American football showpiece, with South African-born Greg Joseph hoping to catapult his career towards gridiron stardom.
The 26-year-old place-kicker will have to hope he gets a chance to display his skills on the field, but Joseph is in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad for the 55th edition of the annual spectacle which forms the pinnacle of the season in the popular US sport.
Born in Johannesburg, Joseph moved to the United States with his parents in 2001, at the age of seven.
In high school he showed talent in both soccer, earning All-State colours, and gridiron, with All-American honours.
He went on to attend Florida Atlantic University where he opted to focus his attention on American football.
Despite not being the biggest or strongest player, standing at 1.83m and weighing 95kg, he found tremendous success as a specialist kicker, scoring 336 points in four seasons on the collegiate circuit.
Also excelling off the field, Joseph graduated in 2017 with a degree in exercise science and health promotion.
Soon after graduating, he signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins, and he went on to make his NFL debut later that year with the Cleveland Browns.
Making an impact in his first NFL season, Joseph kicked 17 field goals in the 14 matches he played, racking up 76 points during the 2018 campaign.
A traveller in the early stages of his top-flight career, he then spent some time with the Carolina Panthers practice squad before penning a deal with the Tennessee Titans in 2019.
Craig Aukerman, the special teams co-ordinator at the Titans, was full of praise for Joseph’s work ethic.
“In practice he did really well,” Aukerman said.
“It really helped us out because of the confidence he gave all of us in practice and during the games.”
Last year Joseph was signed to the Buccaneers practice squad and promoted to the active roster in December after team-mate Ryan Succop was sidelined by Covid-19 restrictions.
And should he get an opportunity to play in the clash against defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs in tomorrow’s Super Bowl final, he will have a real chance of securing one of the most prized titles in American sport, part of a powerful squad which features iconic quarterback Tom Brady.
The Buccaneers, who last lifted the championship trophy in 2002, will be targeting their second Super Bowl crown, and if Joseph has his way, it’ll be another big step forward in his blossoming career.
“I’m always going to be confident in my ability, I’m a quiet guy but I’m a hard worker, so I’m doing my job to the best of my ability. I’m not here to assert my dominance or anything. I’m just here to be Greg Joseph,” said Joseph.