Former HBCU Coach Named First Black Head Coach In Nebraska Sports History

College football will never be the same!

A former HBCU coach has been named the first Black head coach in Nebraska sports history, NBC Sports reports. 

According to The Sporting News, Mickey Joseph is a veteran coach for a number of historically Black universities and colleges, including Alcorn State, Grambling State, and Louisiana State University (LSU). A former University of Nebraska player himself, Joseph was a quarterback for the Cornhuskers, playing from 1988 to 1991 in Lincoln. Joseph was a cornerstone on the field, combining for 11 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns in 1990. 

Joseph took all he learned from mentor Tom Osborne’s coaching and applied it to his own coaching style, serving as LSU Tigers’ wide receiver coach from 2017-2021. There, he oversaw the development of future football stars, Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings) and Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals). Chase’s father, Jimmy Chase, credits Joseph with recruiting his son and bringing him to Louisiana. 

“Mickey was very vital in Ja’Marr’s recruitment. He was the only one who knew how to understand Ja’Marr and how Ja’Marr operates. With Ja’Marr being a high-profile player, he was not your normal high school player. Ja’Marr didn’t like all of the attention and wasn’t crazy about being harassed. Mickey took it slow with him and didn’t really talk about football or LSU all the time. That won Ja’Marr over. Ja’Marr let his guard down with Mickey and the rest is history — even ‘till today,” explained the elder Chase. 

That tenacity and ability to relate with the players served Joseph well; Louisiana State secured the national championship in 2019. When Joseph made the move to Nebraska, he carried that same spirit with him, attracting new and more diverse prospects like LSU transfer, Terry Palmer, and wideouts, DeColdest Crawford and Omarion Miller. 

“He’s like a father. He looks at me like his own. So to have somebody like that in my life, on the field and off the field, is very good,” Palmer previously told reporters. 

Joseph was first hired as an associate head coach for Nebraska but with head coach Scott Frost at the helm, the beginning of the 2022 football season started out very rocky. Nebraska started out the season 1-2, previously going 16-31 under Frost’s leadership. After another loss this past Sunday to Georgia Southern, the University of Nebraska fired Frost In a surprise decision. As his replacement, they named Joseph as interim head coach, the veteran HBCU coach becoming the first Black head coach in Nebraska sports history.  

“Scott has poured his heart and soul into the Nebraska Football program both as a quarterback and head coach, and I appreciate his work and dedication. After the disappointing start to our season, I decided the best path forward for our program was to make a change in our head coaching position. Associate Head Coach Mickey Joseph will serve as our interim head coach for the remainder of the 2022 season,” said Vice Chancellor, Director of Athletics, Trev Alberts, via statement. 

Joseph served in his role as associate head coach for just three games before being promoted to interim head coach. Currently, he is set to make his coaching debut on Saturday, September 17th when the Huskers play against Oklahoma at home. He has already been flooded with well wishes, journalist Amie Just taking to social media to remark on the incredible historical achievement.

Just wrote:

We agree, it’s quite impressive. Congratulations Coach Mickey! Show them what you got!

Former HBCU coach is named the first Black head coach in Nebraska sports history. Photo Courtesy of Francis Gardler/Journal Star