Joe Hamilton (football player)
Encyclopedia
Joe Hamilton is a former American football
player who now serves as running backs coach at Georgia State University
. Before joining the Georgia State football staff in 2010
, he had played professionally as a quarterback
, most recently for the Orlando Predators
of the Arena Football League
. He played collegiately at Georgia Tech
from 1996 to 1999.
career records for total offense (10,640 yards), touchdown passes (65) and total touchdowns (83). He won numerous NCAA accolades, including the Davey O'Brien Award
as a senior and he was a finalist for the 1999 Heisman Trophy
in his senior year, finishing in second place behind Wisconsin
running back
Ron Dayne
. In 2002 he was named as one of the 50 members of the ACC
50th Anniversary Football Team.
Due to his lack of prototypical height for an NFL
quarterback (standing just 5'10"/1.78 m), he fell to the 7th round of the 2000 NFL Draft
before being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
. In three years with the Buccaneers he only played four downs in a single regular-season game. In 2002 the Buccaneers allocated Hamilton to NFL Europe
, where he led the Frankfurt Galaxy
to 5-2 record in 2002 before suffering a severe knee injury (torn ACL
). He spent the entire 2002 NFL season
on injured reserve
and was released by the Buccaneers at the end of the season. He received a Super Bowl ring
following the Buccaneers' victory in Super Bowl XXXVII
.
He signed with the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators in 2004 and guided the team to a 9-5 record and the playoffs, despite suffering another knee injury and missing two and a half games.
He was then signed by the Indianapolis Colts
in 2004, reuniting with former Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy
, but only saw limited action in one game before being released during the season.
He returned to the Orlando Predators
where he was the starting
quarterback through the 2006 season
. He has a 32-15 record as the Predators' starter and led them to ArenaBowl XX
in 2006, losing 69-61 to the Chicago Rush
. With a win, Hamilton would have become the first player in history to own both a Super Bowl and ArenaBowl ring. In the 2006 off-season, he was released by the Orlando Predators and has yet to sign with another team or officially announce his retirement.
He returned to school, and received his degree in History, Technology, and Society in August 2007. He was named the Assistant Director of Player Personnel at his alma mater, Georgia Tech. On May 6, 2008, Hamilton was arrested by the Georgia Tech Police Department for DUI, hit and run, marijuana possession, and violation of the open container law. Hamilton resigned from Georgia Tech on May 7. On May 7, 2008, Joe Hamilton offered his resignation to Coach Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech Athletics Director Dan Radakovich. Quoting Coach Paul Johnson, "Today, I sadly accepted Joe's resignation. I know he has great love and concern for this program and always will. Both athletic director Dan Radakovich and I made it clear to Joe that we would offer any support he requires in the coming weeks and into the future. Joe will always be a part of the Yellow Jacket family."
In 2010, he resurrected his coaching career when he became a recruiting intern at Georgia State, which had launched its football program
that year. In June 2011, he joined the Panthers' full-time staff as running backs coach.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who now serves as running backs coach at Georgia State University
Georgia State Panthers football
The Georgia State Panthers football team represents Georgia State University in the NCAA Division I FCS, competing as an independent, but slated to join the Colonial Athletic Association beginning in 2012. Georgia State plays its home games at the Georgia Dome, which is located off-campus in...
. Before joining the Georgia State football staff in 2010
2010 Georgia State Panthers football team
The 2010 Georgia State Panthers football team represented Georgia State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football during the 2010 season. Georgia State played their first-ever season of football in 2010 and were classified...
, he had played professionally as a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, most recently for the Orlando Predators
Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...
of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
. He played collegiately at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
from 1996 to 1999.
Football career
Hamilton set Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
career records for total offense (10,640 yards), touchdown passes (65) and total touchdowns (83). He won numerous NCAA accolades, including the Davey O'Brien Award
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
as a senior and he was a finalist for the 1999 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
in his senior year, finishing in second place behind Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Ron Dayne
Ron Dayne
Ron Dayne is a former American football running back who is currently a free agent. He holds the NCAA record for career rushing yards, and he won the 1999 Heisman Trophy.-Early life:...
. In 2002 he was named as one of the 50 members of the ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
50th Anniversary Football Team.
Due to his lack of prototypical height for an NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
quarterback (standing just 5'10"/1.78 m), he fell to the 7th round of the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
before being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
. In three years with the Buccaneers he only played four downs in a single regular-season game. In 2002 the Buccaneers allocated Hamilton to NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
, where he led the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
to 5-2 record in 2002 before suffering a severe knee injury (torn ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament injury
An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament can be a debilitating musculoskeletal injury to the knee, seen most often in athletes. Non-contact tears and ruptures are the most common causes of ACL injury....
). He spent the entire 2002 NFL season
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
and was released by the Buccaneers at the end of the season. He received a Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
following the Buccaneers' victory in Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
.
He signed with the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators in 2004 and guided the team to a 9-5 record and the playoffs, despite suffering another knee injury and missing two and a half games.
He was then signed by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in 2004, reuniting with former Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
, but only saw limited action in one game before being released during the season.
He returned to the Orlando Predators
Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...
where he was the starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
quarterback through the 2006 season
2006 Arena Football League season
The 2006 Arena Football League season was the 20th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Chicago Rush, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl XX....
. He has a 32-15 record as the Predators' starter and led them to ArenaBowl XX
ArenaBowl XX
ArenaBowl XX, held on Sunday, June 11, 2006, was played to determine the championship of the 2006 season of the Arena Football League. For the second consecutive year, the game was played at the neutral site of the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It pitted the National Conference...
in 2006, losing 69-61 to the Chicago Rush
Chicago Rush
The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...
. With a win, Hamilton would have become the first player in history to own both a Super Bowl and ArenaBowl ring. In the 2006 off-season, he was released by the Orlando Predators and has yet to sign with another team or officially announce his retirement.
He returned to school, and received his degree in History, Technology, and Society in August 2007. He was named the Assistant Director of Player Personnel at his alma mater, Georgia Tech. On May 6, 2008, Hamilton was arrested by the Georgia Tech Police Department for DUI, hit and run, marijuana possession, and violation of the open container law. Hamilton resigned from Georgia Tech on May 7. On May 7, 2008, Joe Hamilton offered his resignation to Coach Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech Athletics Director Dan Radakovich. Quoting Coach Paul Johnson, "Today, I sadly accepted Joe's resignation. I know he has great love and concern for this program and always will. Both athletic director Dan Radakovich and I made it clear to Joe that we would offer any support he requires in the coming weeks and into the future. Joe will always be a part of the Yellow Jacket family."
In 2010, he resurrected his coaching career when he became a recruiting intern at Georgia State, which had launched its football program
Georgia State Panthers football
The Georgia State Panthers football team represents Georgia State University in the NCAA Division I FCS, competing as an independent, but slated to join the Colonial Athletic Association beginning in 2012. Georgia State plays its home games at the Georgia Dome, which is located off-campus in...
that year. In June 2011, he joined the Panthers' full-time staff as running backs coach.
Collegiate awards and honors
- 1996 - Four ACC Rookie of the Week Awards, Runner-up ACCAtlantic Coast ConferenceThe Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
Rookie of the Year - 1997 - Two ACC Offensive Back of the Week Awards, Georgia TechGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets footballThe Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
MVP for the Year, MVP of 1997 Carquest Bowl vs West VirginiaWest Virginia Mountaineers footballThe West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their... - 1998 - One ACC Offensive Back of the Week Award, 1st Team All-ACC Quarterback, Co-MVP of 1999 Gator BowlGator BowlThe Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
against Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish footballNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
, led the team to ending 7 year losing streak to the GeorgiaGeorgia Bulldogs footballThe Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54... - 1999 - Davey O'Brien Award winner, Runner-up to the 1999 Heisman Trophy, 1st Team All-AmericaAll-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
Quarterback, 1st Team All-ACC Quarterback, Three ACC Offensive Back of the Week Awards, defeated University of Georgia 51-48 for second straight year in wild overtime victory - 2000 - Anthony J. McKelvin Award, ACC Male Athlete of the YearACC Athlete of the YearThe Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year award is given to the male and female athlete who show extraordinary talent throughout the entire season. The award is decided by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association....
- 2002 - ACC 50th Anniversary Football Team
- 2005 - ACC Football Legends - Inaugural Class
- 2007 - Received degree from Georgia TechGeorgia Institute of TechnologyThe Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
in History, Technology and Society