Joe Gilliam

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Joseph Gilliam, Jr. (December 29, 1950 - December 25, 2000) was an American football player. Joe Gilliam was born in Charleston, West Virginia, and was the third of four children of Ruth and Joe Gilliam, Sr. Gilliam grew up on the campus of Tennessee A&I State University (renamed Tennessee State University in 1968). His father was a defensive coordinator at TSU. The younger Gilliam displayed his own athletic abilities at a young age, beginning at Nashville's Washington Junior high School, where he participated in tumbling, track, and basketball. In 1966, he became the starting quarterback at Pearl High School and led the squad when they played in the city's first season of integrated football. Gilliam kept close to the Tiger football team by serving as a ball boy.