Carl Joseph Rules

I guess this is "Endorse Other People Day" at PSaMP. What with HHR before and Carl Joseph now.

I recently exchanged notes with Carl, a man you probably have never heard about. Unless you saw him on sites like Deadspin and With Leather back in November. Carl is an amazing athlete that you need to know about.


"Born into poverty on a north Florida tobacco farm in 1961, Carl Joseph didn't stand much of a chance in life, even if he'd had a left leg. But through strength in God and unyielding perseverance, he led not only a normal life, but an extraordinary one.

When he removed his bulky prosthesis or dropped his crutches to play sports, he morphed from a gimp into a powerful competitor. In going where no one-legged human had gone before, he sacked quarterbacks, dunked basketballs and soared to victories in the high jump...by hopping on one leg!

In his heroic journey, he transformed himself from the object of pity and ridicule as a child to one of respect and awe in high school, winning over incredulous couches at each hop along the way.

The improbable athletic exploits of this bashful honor student were credited with bringing Madison's black and white communities together during the tense early years of forced integration."


It's not everyday that you hear inspirational stories of one-legged athletes defying the odds. It's even rarer when the story actually relates to Pittsburgh.

In the early 80s, Pitt football coach Jackie Sherrill brought Carl in for a tryout. I asked Carl to recall his time in Pittsburgh for use here. The following is from Carl himself:


"I first met Coach Sherrill, Mark May and Dan Marino when they unexpectedly showed up in my little hometown of Madison, FL, to take part in "Carl Joseph Appreciation Day" in May of 1980. Coach Sherrill then invited me to fall football camp to be a member of the team and inspire his players.

I was at Pitt for about five weeks. I was allowed to suit up and take part in exercises, warmups and drills, but no contact. I was treated as part of the team and had the same rules as the players. The player I was closest with at that time was Rickey Jackson. He showed me a lot of Pittsburgh and he gave me the name "Jackie Sherrill's Boy" because he felt Coach gave me more freedom. That may have been true, but I really couldn't do anything with that freedom. My mobility at Pitt was severely limited by the hills. I wore an artificial leg on campus and had several falls, which was a humiliating thing for me.

So while I loved my time with the Panthers, I was glad to get back to the flat farmland of northern Florida. I don't know how much my presence at Pitt inspired the players, but they did have an 11-1 season."


Sherrill was touched by Carl enough to write a letter of recommendation for the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, for which Carl was recently nominated. Hopefully, the love Carl has recently gotten from the blogosphere will help in the selection process. Carl and the other nominees should find out the results next month.

Below is video of Carl. PSaMP endorses Carl's selection into the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame!

Marshall Trying to Make Hometown Team

Does this guy look familiar? Pitt fans probably know him. WVU fans definitely know him. Rasheed Marshall is hoping that all Steelers fans will get to know him in the upcoming season.

Scott Brown of the Tribune-Review reminds readers of the former Big East Player of the Year, as he tries to make a Steelers team that presumably can't use another wideout.

Pittsburgh has proven vets in Hines Ward and Cedrick Wilson, and used their first round selection last year on speedy Santonio Holmes. Dallas Baker the Touchdown Maker was drafted in the final round of this year's draft out of national champion Florida. Plus, Willie Reid is hoping to make an impact after a season-ending foot injury in his rookie campaign. PSaMP is also hoping that this is the year Walter Young, a talented wideout with great size, comes into his own. He has a T.O. build, and displayed some good hands during last year's preseason.

Where does Marshall fit in? He spent his rookie season in San Fransisco, where he racked up 575 yards primarily as a return specialist. Reid seems destined for that role this season, but Marshall could be an insurance plan if Reid's foot decides to fail him again. I sure as hell don't want to see Holmes waiting for kicks anymore. Sure, the guy started to show some progress at WR towards the end of the season, and even had that longass touchdown to beat the Bungles in overtime, but as a kick returner, Holmes might make me pull out all of my hair. He excelled at tOSU at the position, but doesn't have the quickness or the moves to run back kicks in the NFL. And I'm not even going to mention the fumbles.

Unfortunately for Marshall, he spent 12 games as a 49er, which is too many to be considered for any professional practice squad. He needs to display his skills quickly, or fear getting axed into free agency.

Will Marshall make the club? Only time will tell. Reid has yet to fully prove himself, so maybe Marshall can create a niche for himself in the Steelers' '07-'08 roster.