In the wake of Scott Frost’s firing, Nebraska Cornhuskers fans may want to get to know their interim head coach: Mickey Joseph. A former quarterback at Nebraska himself, Joseph steps into the position after his former boss was fired following a 16-31 record with the team.
Who is Mickey Joseph?
As mentioned, Joseph will step into the role of head coach on an interim basis, following that of Frost. Like Frost, Joseph is a former Nebraska Cornhusker quarterback, having played for the team from 1988 to 1991. He threw for 909 career passing yards with 14 touchdowns but was mostly effective with Nebraska’s rushing attack, running for 1,108 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in his career.
His life after Nebraska has been at a variety of different schools, each position taking on new responsibilities and each role growing with its importance to the team. Starting his coaching career four years after his collegiate playing days were over, Joseph began as the quarterback and wide receivers coach at Omaha North High School.
He quickly jumped the ranks to college, heading to Wayne State for a season before ultimately moving to his birth state of Louisiana to become the quarterbacks coach at Archbishop Shaw High School, his alma mater. From there, it was several short stints around the country, at varying levels, before he landed the head coaching job at Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma.
In two seasons at Langston, Joseph compiled a 13-7 record, including a 4-1 record in conference play. This success catapulted him into the FCS football realm with stops at Alcorn State and Grambling State before catching the eyes of Skip Holtz at Louisiana Tech, who named him the running backs coach in 2016.
The proverbial big leagues called Joseph after that, and he joined LSU as their wide receivers coach in 2017, winning the national championship with the Tigers in 2019, and being promoted to associate head coach the following season.
Frost plucked Joseph from LSU this past offseason during his coaching staff turnover, naming him the associate head coach and wide receivers coach earlier this year. To recap, Joseph’s coaching career has been a well-traveled one:
1995-96: Omaha North High School (QB, WR)
1997: Wayne State
1998: Archbishop Shaw High School (QB)
1999: Tulane (Grad Assistant)
2000: Alabama State (WR)
2001-2003: Nicholls State (QB)
2004-2005: Central Oklahoma (RB)
2005-2008: Desire Street Academy (Athletic Director)
2008-2012: Langston University (HC)
2013: Alcorn State (Associate Head Coach, WR, ST)
2014-2015: Grambling State (WR, ST)
2016: Louisiana Tech (RB)
2017-2019: LSU (WR)
2020-2021: LSU (AHC, WR)
2022: Nebraska (AHC, WR)
2022: Nebraska (interim head coach)
It’s also important to note his family lineage when understanding who Mickey Joseph is. His brother — Vance Joseph — is the former head coach of the Denver Broncos and longtime NFL assistant coach. Vance is the current defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals.
Mickey’s other brother — Samuel Joseph — played football at Colorado and then at LSU. He was signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers in 2007 when Vance was the team’s defensive backs coach. Samuel ultimately didn’t make the roster and played four seasons in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts. He is currently the running backs coach at Nicholls.
Mickey Joseph understands trying times
Taking over for Frost in what amounts to a rebuild of the Nebraska program should not be a task too tall for Joseph. It was back in 2005 that his role of “Athletic Director” was in fact anything but a typical athletic director role at Desire Street Academy.
After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, the school was relocated four hours away. Some of the students that were left in the New Orleans area — some sleeping in the New Orleans Superdome for days — were rounded up by Joseph and taught, on a daily basis, by Joseph. He was their “surrogate father,” ensuring they were in bed, teaching them in the classroom, and even formed a football team with some of the 75 students he was caring for.
Taking over Nebraska should be no issue when comparing it to the kind of daily life he had to endure while caring for so many after such a large tragedy.