Joseph Working Where He Was Meant to Be

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A onetime graduate assistant on a talented LSU staff that included Bo Pelini and John Papuchis, Nebraska’s new secondary coach believes he’s working where he is meant to be. “This really is a perfect fit,” he said, “because this is an opportunity that could not have come at a better time in my life or in my career. To be in this office and to coach the defensive backs at Nebraska, I almost have to pinch myself when I wake up in the morning. Every day, one of our assistants picks me up at the Cornhusker Hotel, and when I open the door to my office, I look out my window and see that weight room with that Big Red N on the wall, and it always reminds me of where I am.”

A little more than a week ago, Joseph was secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at Tennessee. Now he’s working with Pelini and Papuchis again, just like he did in Baton Rouge. Joseph says he’s always had a good feel for both mentors. “Personality-wise and philosophy-wise, Bo and J.P. are guys I’ve really gotten along with ever since I’ve known them,” Joseph said.  “J.P. and I have been in constant contact since we’ve been apart. Bo and I have also talked on occasion over the years. You know what people say when you leave each other: ‘One day we’ll work together.’ But with those two guys, in my heart, I always felt like they meant it. Obviously, with what’s happened in the last week, it has come to be the truth.“

Papuchis: Joseph Solid Teacher and Recruiter

The truth is Pelini and Papuchis have high standards, and they know what they want when a staff job opens. “Terry’s a guy I consider a friend. He’s worked with both Bo and me,” Papuchis said. “We had a lot of respect for him during our time at LSU.  He’s a good teacher. He’s a hard worker.  He’s a very knowledgeable guy, and he’s a good recruiter. We were looking to hire the right guy to fill that spot, and he has all the qualities we were looking for. Recruiting is a big key to our success, and our ability to get the right guys on campus really is important. Everyone has an important role to play in recruiting. Everyone’s working real hard on that, and when 10 guys are all pushing in the same direction, good things happen. “

Relationships with current coaches is important, but Joseph also relied on telephone conversations with his cousin, Mickey Joseph, a four-year Nebraska letter winner at quarterback and a 1991 Husker co-captain.  “I didn’t come to Lincoln to see Mickey play here, but I watched him a ton on TV,” Terry said.  “When this opportunity came up, obviously he was one of the first guys I called. He told me: ‘Cuz, I’m a little bit biased towards Lincoln, but there aren’t too many places like Lincoln anywhere.  I don’t want to tell you what to do, but this is one opportunity you really have to look into because Lincoln is really a special place.’”

Now the head football coach at Langston University in Oklahoma, Mickey Joseph’s team finished 7-3 in his first year as head coach. Terry Joseph called that finish one of the best seasons in the school’s recent history. “Mickey’s done a really good job, and he’s very excited about me being here in Lincoln,” Terry said.

Joseph Can Do What Pierce Did for Osborne

Mickey’s excited because he knows how much value Terry can bring to Nebraska. “Terry can do for Bo what Jack Pierce did for Tom Osborne – bring in great athletes from the South because he knows the South and he knows what great athletes are looking for and how they might fit in,” Mickey said in a telephone interview. “Look at all the athletes Jack Pierce recruited … Tyrone Hughes, Neil Smith, Leroy Etienne, Reggie Cooper, Tommie Frazier. Jack could sell the South because he lived in the South and knew what people considered important. Terry can do the same thing. He can help make athletes feel comfortable about coming to Lincoln to visit and then signing on the dotted line later once they see what Nebraska has.”

Terry Joseph is experiencing what he’s always known. “The Nebraska brand is powerful because it ‘s nationally known,” he said. “It’s simple, but it has a lasting effect on everyone who sees it. When you start talking about a school like Nebraska, you don’t really have to explain who you are to recruits.  Through the years, everyone knows Nebraska is about recruiting and winning and consistency and doing things right.

“That’s what makes Nebraska’s program stand above the rest,” Joseph said. “Nebraska has stood the test of time. Even with different coaches, they continue to win. What I remember about Coach Osborne is how his teams kept doing the same thing over and over and over. In the end, that’s what made Nebraska a winner.  It wasn’t like there was any glitz or glamour. It was just a lot of hard work and homework, a lot of dedication and discipline. Nebraska won because of their toughness. That’s what Bo wants – that same kind of toughness.”

Finally, a Call and ‘Welcome to the Family’

Terry Joseph remembers how tough his cousin was when he hurt his leg in a freak injury in a nationally televised game at Oklahoma. He sees how excited Mickey is living his own dream as a head football coach and sensed how much it would mean to him if his cousin would decide to leave Knoxville for Lincoln.

“Over the past week, Mickey was like a little kid at Christmas,” Terry said. “He kept calling and wondering what I was going to do. I just wanted to take my time and make sure it was right. Like a great family member and a great role model, Mickey never pressured me. He gave me great information, but he never said: ‘You gotta go.’ But when it became official and he knew I was going to Nebraska, he called and said: ‘Welcome to the family, Cuz!’ I told him Tennessee did everything in their power to get me to stay. I also told him it was a tough decision to make at the time, but now that it’s over, the decision really was easy because I feel like I’m where I was meant to me. And, believe me, I’m very thankful to be here.”

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Thanks for the story on Terry Joseph. I was born and raised in Nebraska and lived there for the first 39 years of my life. Our family moved to Tennessee in August of 1988. Having been here for the past 24 years, people who know me ask if I have any orange in my wardrobe for the Vols. My answer to them is always "only if the red that I have for Nebraska has faded." It will never fade because the Walkers are die-hard Husker fans. We are really looking forward to the home-and-home series with Tennessee in 2016 and 2017. GO BIG RED! Steve Walker, an unabashed Husker supporter, Knoxville, Tennessee

Reading this story about Terry Joseph, you realize quickly that he understands the expectations and embraces the tradition of Nebraska. It must help having a cousin who can communicate the pride and the honor of being a Cornhusker. Congratulations to both Terry and Mickey, who now belong to two families - the Joseph family and the Husker family. Mark Young, Chicago, Illinois