Joe Gilliam
No. 17 | |||||||||||
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Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Charleston, West Virginia, U.S. | December 29, 1950||||||||||
Died: | December 25, 2000 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | (aged 49)||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Pearl (Nashville, TN) | ||||||||||
College: | Tennessee State | ||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1972 / Round: 11 / Pick: 273 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Joseph Wiley Gilliam, Jr. (December 29, 1950 – December 25, 2000) was a professional football player, a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. Primarily a backup, he started the first six games of the 1974 season.
Early years
Born in Charleston, West Virginia, Gilliam was the third of four children of Ruth and Joe Gilliam Sr. He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and spent many hours on the campus of Tennessee A&I State University (renamed Tennessee State University in 1968), where his father was the defensive coordinator for the Tigers football team.
Gilliam displayed his own athletic abilities at a young age, beginning at Washington Junior High School, where he participated in
While at Tennessee State, he played under legendary coach
Professional career
Gilliam was selected by the
Gilliam felt that his demotion was based on racial reasons. In an interview with The Tennessean a year before his death, he said "I thought if you played well, you got to play. I guess I didn't understand the significance of being a black quarterback at the time."[8] Wide receiver John Stallworth recalled that Gilliam's demotion was due to his poor on-field performance, disobeying Chuck Noll's game plan, and substance abuse issues and there was no racial motivation whatsoever on the team's part. He noted that Noll was "completely color-blind" as a coach and not racist in any way. Linebacker Andy Russell said that Gilliam was "immensely talented" as a quarterback, but unable to stay off of drugs.
The Steelers waived Gilliam prior to the 1976 preseason after he missed a team meeting.[9] He battled heroin, cocaine, and alcohol addiction on and off over the next several years and even ended up living in a cardboard box under a bridge for two years.
He was arrested in
In
Personal life and death
Gilliam ran a football camp for teens at Tennessee State in Nashville in mid-2000. He earned the nickname "Jefferson Street Joe" for the boulevard that runs by Tennessee State University in Nashville.[21][22]
Gilliam died of a cocaine overdose[23] on Christmas Day, 2000 shortly after watching an NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans. He was four days away from his 50th birthday. Gilliam was sober for three years prior to his death and able to attend the final Steelers game at Three Rivers Stadium.[24][25]
Gilliam's daughter is R&B singer Joi. His ex son-in-law is rapper Big Gipp of the Goodie Mob.
References
- ^ "Joe Gilliam Jr. had athletic leadership skills". The African American Registry. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
- ^ Forbes, Dick (November 4, 1972). "Bengals' invasion puts Steeler VP in orbit". Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 33. Retrieved 2022-08-26 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Joe Gilliam 1972 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ Blount, Roy Jr. (September 23, 1974). "Gillie was a Steeler driving man". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
- ^ a b Klingaman, Mike (May 2, 1983). "Joe's doors". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (Baltimore Evening Sun). p. 9.
- ^ Young, Dick (January 14, 1976). "Steelers' Gilliam...Trade me, but not to Jets". Daily News. p. 91. Retrieved 2022-08-21 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Musick, Phil (January 14, 1976). "Spotlight seeks Gilliam". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 52. Retrieved 2022-08-21 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (December 27, 2000). "Joe Gilliam Is Dead at 49; Pioneer Black Quarterback". New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ Musick, Phil (June 4, 1976). "Steelers waive Joe Gilliam". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-08-21 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gilliam to USFL". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. March 22, 1983. p. 28.
- ^ "Pro football: Saints cut Joe Gilliam". Wilmington (NC) Morning Star. Associated Press. September 1, 1977. p. 1-D.
- ^ "Ex-Steeler Gilliam quits semipro team". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. August 9, 1978. p. 4B.
- ^ "Joe Gilliam arrested". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. October 13, 1978. p. B-12.
- ^ "BirminghamProSports.com". www.birminghamprosports.com.
- ^ "Joe Gilliam beaten". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. August 21, 1979. p. B-6.
- ^ "Former Steeler Gilliam found beaten". Gettysburg Times. Associated Press. August 21, 1979. p. 9.
- ^ Visser, Leslie (February 1, 1983). "Jefferson Street Joe is back in the game". Miami News. (Boston Globe). p. 4B.
- ^ "Cut by Gold, Gilliam back on the street". Pittsburgh Press. Associated Press. February 28, 1983. p. C1.
- ^ "Federals cut Joe Gilliam". The Day. New London, CT. Associated Press. January 31, 1984. p. 22.
- ^ "2010 Hall of Fame" (PDF). American Football Association. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Zeise, Paul (December 30, 2000). "Gilliam paved the way for black quarterbacks in the NFL". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ McClean, Tony (January 12, 2005). "Remembering "Jefferson Street" Joe Gilliam". Black Athlete Sports Network. Archived from the original on March 22, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ "Quarterback Joe Gilliam Died of Drug Overdose". ABC News. January 12, 2001. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ Walker, Teresa M. (December 27, 2000). "A career of highs, lows". Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. p. 6C.
- ^ Sharp, Tom (December 30, 2000). "Loved ones gather to say final goodbye". Spartanburg (SC) Herald-Journal. Associated Press. p. C2.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference ·