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Let's Talk Turkey

Davin Joseph, Guard

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By Chris Kuhn

Published: December 12, 2007

Davin Joseph is pleased when a plan comes together. The Buccaneers guard has just returned from a community event that he inspired and that he along with his best friends — the Buccaneers offensive line — made happen.

"I wanted to do something for Thanksgiving originally, so I came up with the idea of springing for Thanksgiving dinner for 75 different families in my hometown, Hallandale — 75, just like my jersey number. The community relations team helped me get all of the food and they were delivered back home in my name. It was really nice," he says.

This idea spurred interest with his fellow o-line teammates. "Then [Jeremy] Trueblood says he wants to do something like that and the other guys are interested, too. So I said, 'why don't we all chip in?' Eight guys did. We had $8,000 and helped 400 families."

The event, Turkey Time with the O-Line, was held Nov. 20 at One Buc Place with families benefiting selected by local nonprofit organizations identified by the United Way of Tampa Bay. "The players had fun, the coaches were impressed and we had a line out the door almost to Dale Mabry! Hopefully, it's something we can do every year," Joseph says.

This passion to help and share his good fortune stems from an appreciation for the place the 24-year-old already has reached in his young career. "We're blessed to be in the position we're in," he says. "We should be good citizens and influences and respectable in all that we do."

Joseph knows he wants to set up his own community foundation eventually, but is still determining what its mission will be. "I don't want to rush into anything. I want to start small and figure out some things I might want to do every year."

He attributes this commitment to doing good and working hard to his parents, who emigrated from Haiti before Joseph was born, and the example they set supporting their son throughout his successful sports career. "To this day, they still work even though I could support them. But I can't get them to stop because they feel that doing their jobs makes them who they are. They're just everyday people, genuine and hardworking and I respect them for everything they've done."

After gaining attention as a top Florida high school football player (for offense and defense) and becoming a state champ and nationally-ranked for his wrestling skills, Joseph attended the University of Oklahoma where he established himself on the field as an aggressive blocker. In 2006, he became only the second Sooner drafted by the Bucs in a first round, following in the footsteps of hall-of-famer Lee Roy Selmon 30 years earlier.

"When I was much younger, I didn't really have a passion for sports. It wasn't until I started playing football," he says. "I was learning so much that I never missed a day. I always went to practice and loved the challenge. Now it's a challenge I face every day, and that's why I enjoy what I do so much."

So have any of those old wrestling moves helped him at guard duty? He laughs. "I was wrestling quite a long time ago, but some things do stick with you. Wrestling takes a strong mindset, tenacity and a drive to compete. I think that strong-minded nature of it stayed with me."

Since starting his NFL career with the Bucs two years ago, he has strived to grow as a contributor to the team. "Last year seemed so fast to me. Everything this year seemed to slow down a little bit and I have a general idea of what to do," he laughs. "Now, we're in a place where we can contend for a title and that's exciting."

His relationship with the other members of the o-line has grown and allowed the unit to work and play together cohesively, on and off the field. "I'm lucky to have such a good group of guys to play with — peers my age who are eager to learn and older guys to look up to. Anybody looking in from the outside would think we all grew up with one another but we've only been together a year," he says.

This bond includes working out together, taking part in community efforts like Turkey Time and meeting up at each other's homes for recreational activities. "The guys will get together and 'pretend' to be basketball players. Notice I said 'pretend,' " he chuckles. "I don't even attempt it though. I know my limits."

In his spare time, Joseph enjoys trying new restaurants, catching the occasional movie and playing Xbox 360. He notes that during the season he directs his focus to the job and not the attention.
"Accomplishments and awards are great, but they don't really mean much to me. I just want to win.

"Sure, a Pro Bowl ring would be great, but I want a Super Bowl ring."

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