Joey LaRocque

In youth football Joey LaRocque was MVP every season. 8 years old all the way to high school and his dreams of playing in the NFL climbed the ladder.

Joey started high school at 5’4” 105 pounds and sat on the bench for three years, supposedly “too small to play.” Being small, never discouraged him to work harder than anyone or give up his dream. Not even 6’ tall and only tipped the scales at 180 lbs, Joey finally got his chance to start as a senior at Agoura High school. With savage tenacity and hard work, he received Team MVP, All Conference, All City and All State Linebacker Awards and Defensive MVP of the East-West All Star Game.

Still too small to get any interest from D-1 universities, Joey went to College of the Canyons Junior College where he was honored as Rookie of the Year on the JC National Champion team. He led the team in tackles in his sophomore year and went to the State Championship game. In junior college, Joey finally hit his growth spurt weighing 225 lbs at 6’2. Ranked 14th in the country in JC transfers, Joey was pursued by many D-1 universities, and found Oregon State. The “Pac10” and small town atmosphere of OSU suited Joey perfectly. Starting in every game, Joey led the defense to two great seasons capping each season off with Bowl wins – ’06 Sun Bowl and ’07 Emerald Bowl. He was honored as All Pac 10 Linebacker in 2007.

From a “kid too small to play high school football”, Joey continued his dream and was drafted in the seventh round by the Chicago Bears in 2008. After playing one full season in 2009, he was injured with two back surgeries. In 2010, he joined the UFL Omaha Nighthawks where he was spotted by the Jets. After fracturing his sternum, He was released by the Jets on September 2011.

Thankful for his amazing trip to the NFL, Joey dedicated himself to give back to the community by helping struggling kids attain their goals and dreams