Joe played for 10 seasons in the NFL, nine with the New Orleans Saints, one with the Baltimore Colts. He is a member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame, the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was also a college football official following his playing career.
In this conversation, Joe recalls his days at UK, including playing his home games at Stoll Field, where the Wildcats scored a big upset win in 1969, his sophomore year, over Ole MIss and Archie Manning, his future teammate with the Saints. His first trip to NFL training camp in Hattiesburg, Mississippi was a memorable experience, as was an up-close special teams encounter with one of the NFL’s greats, Green Bay Packers linebacker Ray Nitschke. Joe also shared some personal thoughts about his late son-in-law, former UK player and offensive line coach John Schlarman, who passed away in November of 2020.
