Why Mickey Joseph returned home to Huskers for critical season: ‘Nebraska is a huge part of who he is’

LINCOLN, Neb. — An hour earlier than kickoff Saturday, his long-awaited homecoming, 30 years and 9 months after Mickey Joseph stood on the sideline at Memorial Stadium for the whole thing of his senior day towards Oklahoma, he waltzed to the 50-yard line and held courtroom like he’d by no means left the place.

Nebraska’s 54-year-old affiliate head coach embraced defensive coordinator Erik Chinander. Joseph talked passionately, waving his arms. Then he discovered Malachi Coleman, the top-rated recruiting prospect within the state of Nebraska this yr — with Joseph, there’s at all times a recruit — they usually rubbed elbows for 5 minutes with former Joseph teammate Trev Alberts, the athletic director who loomed massive in bringing the coach again to Lincoln final yr.

All of the whereas, Joseph skilled an eye fixed on his receivers, warming up close by.

“I gained’t go into particulars,” Alberts stated not too long ago of Joseph. “However after I heard what his first assembly was like right here within the large receiver room, I knew we have been in a superb place.”

4 hours after his assembly at midfield, Joseph watched in his all-black game-day apparel on the east sideline because the clock ticked below 10 minutes within the fourth quarter towards North Dakota. With the Huskers backed inside their 10-yard line within the south finish zone, dealing with a third-and-14 and up by a landing, quarterback Casey Thompson floated a go deep to his left towards Trey Palmer.

In a Nebraska uniform this fall solely as a result of Joseph introduced him alongside from their final cease collectively at LSU, Palmer adjusted to Thompson’s throw and gained the battle towards a defender for a acquire of 31 yards.

It may need saved victory for the Huskers, who snapped a seven-game shedding streak with a 38-17 win towards the Combating Hawks of the FCS. Nebraska scored eight performs after Palmer’s key catch, the second of three unanswered touchdowns for the Huskers (1-1 general, 0-1 Huge Ten) within the ultimate 18 minutes to unlock a good contest.

“This crew is usually a nice crew,” fifth-year Nebraska coach Scott Frost stated Saturday. “It’s not proper now.”

For Joseph, the transfer again to Lincoln was by no means about taking a straightforward street or probably the most pleasurable path.

He might have stayed in Baton Rouge final December and jockeyed for a spot as an ace recruiter in his house state of Louisiana on coach Brian Kelly’s LSU workers. However three many years after Joseph sat the bench as a fifth-year senior for coach Tom Osborne, the previous QB felt a pull to return and assist work to revive profitable methods at Nebraska.

“It was at all times Nebraska, at all times,” stated Hank Tierney, Joseph’s highschool coach at Marrero (La.) Archbishop Shaw.

Joseph lamented the 2003 firing of Frank Solich. He stored tabs on the quarterbacks in Lincoln and watched the Huskers when his schedule permitted at teaching stops in Oklahoma, Mississippi and three colleges in Louisiana.

“This was at all times inside him,” stated Priscilla Joseph, Mickey’s spouse of six years. “He would say, ‘I need to return and provides again’ to let Nebraska folks know what Nebraska meant to him. And what it means to him. Nebraska is a large a part of who he’s.”

With out Nebraska followers and the folks he met in Lincoln three many years in the past, Joseph stated after his return final winter, he wouldn’t be right here at this time — not on this place as a coach.

“They gave me a basis,” he stated. “They accepted me for who I used to be.”

And there he was Saturday, again within the acquainted stadium. A savior? No. Part of the Huskers’ long-term future? Who is aware of.

These are tenuous occasions in Lincoln. Frost’s job safety dominates dialogue. However in enjoying his half within the recruitment of Joseph final yr after Frost fired 4 offensive coaches late in a fifth consecutive shedding season on the faculty, Alberts requested for Joseph’s belief, in keeping with the folks closest to the coach.

He obtained it.

“Mickey is who he’s,” Alberts stated earlier than this season started. “He’s completed a outstanding job.”

Nebraska wanted Joseph as soon as earlier than. Within the fall of 1986, he rated among the many prime school prospects nationally. He was a five-star recruit, by the requirements of at this time.

In a category that featured the likes of Emmitt Smith, Junior Seau, Ricky Watters and Chris Zorich, Joseph, the choice QB, took a backseat to nobody. Notre Dame and coach Lou Holtz provided a scholarship. However Osborne and Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer captured Joseph’s consideration.

The Sooners provided glam. Nebraska offered him on work. Joseph fell for OU. His mom, Linda, most well-liked Osborne.

“He went to Nebraska due to Tom Osborne,” Tierney stated.

Forward of signing day in February 1987, the recruiting wrestle intensified. Osborne and Nebraska’s lead recruiter, assistant coach Jack Pierce, acquired phrase that Oklahoma had elevated its effort. So the Nebraska coaches traveled to Marrero, separated by the Mississippi River to the south of New Orleans.

Switzer was there, too, permissible below NCAA guidelines on the time. They gathered outdoors the highschool on signing day as Joseph introduced his resolution, the Huskers, in entrance of a packed gathering inside.

At Nebraska, Joseph realized at first below Steve Taylor, the QB from California who began for 4 seasons.

Osborne, although, declined to contain Taylor within the recruitment of Joseph.

“Coach stored him as far (from me) as doable,” Taylor stated.

However Taylor, earlier than his junior yr in 1987, noticed a spotlight video of Joseph. It motivated Taylor, he stated. “I rededicated myself to soccer.”

A longtime Lincoln realtor who performed professionally in Canada, Taylor relayed the story of Joseph’s impression to the coach after they reconnected not too long ago, telling Joseph that he positively impacted the profession of the older QB.

“I’m excited that he’s again,” Taylor stated. “I love him only for what he’s completed — his development and his love for the sport and the best way he treats his youngsters. He lives and dies soccer. And he loves youngsters, which is what you need in a coach.

“No matter Nebraska asks of him, Mickey is up for the duty. He’s going to do nice issues. It can occur. I simply know it can.”

Joseph at Nebraska redshirted in his first yr. He sat behind Taylor in 1988 and Gerry Gdowski in 1989. Joseph began nearly all of the season in 1990. He threw for 624 yards and rushed for 554 as a junior however sustained a extreme leg laceration towards Oklahoma in a 45-10 defeat and missed the bowl sport in a 9-3 end.

In 1991, Joseph misplaced the job to Keithen McCant, the lesser-heralded of Osborne’s two QB signees within the 1987 class.

“He didn’t have that storybook profession,” Taylor stated, “however he nonetheless has that love for Nebraska. His love is a minimum of my love for Nebraska. That’s a real Husker.”

Pierce died at age 77 in August after connecting once more this yr with Joseph. His affect, alongside Tierney and Osborne, stay with Joseph in his teaching model. He’s about folks above all else, Joseph’s spouse stated.

“The person’s coronary heart is manufactured from gold,” Priscilla Joseph stated. “I’ve by no means met anyone who simply loves a lot. He will get invested together with his gamers on such a private stage.”

That funding interprets to success in recruiting.

Joseph’s work has paid dividends this yr for Frost and the Huskers. Among the many Huskers’ 14 commitments for the Class of 2023 are large receiver Omarion Miller, a four-star prospect from Vivian, La. Along with the switch Palmer, a prime go catcher this season, Joseph helped Nebraska land large receiver Decoldest Crawford and operating again Ajay Allen as signees out of Louisiana excessive colleges.

“He’s like a father,” Palmer stated. “He appears to be like at me like his personal. So to have anyone like that in my life, on the sector and off the sector, is superb.”

Alberts can see the belief.

“They belief him,” Alberts stated. “He’s a constructive man in a world of negativity. And he’s genuine. Generally as a participant, I wouldn’t prefer it, however he’s going to inform you the reality. And so I feel he’s engendered the belief of gamers and households simply in how he approaches conversations.”

It’s no completely different in his private life. In April, Archbishop Shaw inducted Tierney into its corridor of fame. Joseph served because the presenter at his ceremony, attended by an extended listing of Joseph’s former classmates. A few of them didn’t play soccer.

“Mickey knew all people,” Tierney stated. “He knew all of their names. That’s simply him.”

In Lincoln this yr, he shaped a bond with former Nebraska linebacker Terrell Farley, a star from the mid-’90s who didn’t play with Joseph. Farley stops by the Joseph home usually, Priscilla Joseph stated, checking on their 2-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.

Mickey and Priscilla’s daughter, Malania, grew shut with former LSU coach Ed Orgeron. Orgeron, in actual fact, despatched Joseph a textual content message final week after Nebraska returned from its season-opening journey to Eire, asking Mickey to “inform my lady I miss her.”

In Louisiana, the Joseph identify resonates past soccer. After Mickey graduated, his brothers Vance and Sammy starred at Shaw. Each performed at Colorado. Sammy completed his profession at LSU, then obtained into teaching. He’s now at Memphis. Vance served as head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2017 and ’18 and has labored since 2019 as defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals.

Their cousins, Terry and Derrick Joseph, additionally performed for Tierney. Terry performed baseball in school earlier than a profession in soccer teaching that included a stint at Nebraska because the secondary coach in 2012 and ’13. He’s in his second season at Texas because the secondary coach. Derrick performed quarterback at Tulane and trains athletes in New Orleans.

The 5 Joseph boys have been inseparable as youngsters. They’re equally as shut at this time.

“You possibly can’t inform them they’re cousins,” Priscilla Joseph stated. “They’re brothers. And realistically, I don’t know what Mickey or any of them would do in the event that they weren’t teaching.”

Mentioned Derrick Joseph: “For us, Joseph equals soccer.”

For Mickey, soccer equals Nebraska.

Of this problem underway Lincoln, Tierney stated, “I do know he took it private.”

Mickey has stated he’d have it no different manner. He coaches his gamers laborious, as a result of it’s all he is aware of. However he loves them simply as intensely.

“He’s been so excited to get again,” Derrick Joseph stated. “This can be a full circle factor for him.”

It’s a circle that inched a notch nearer to completion Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

(Photograph of Mickey Joseph and Malachi Coleman, proper: Mike Sherman / The Athletic)