Perspectives of a record-breaker

Andrew Joseph ’17 left the Hilltop with a fistful of school records and conference honors. As a defensive lineman for the Rams, Joseph holds school records in career sacks (25.5), tackles for loss (59), and games played (43).

He was also named 2017 Midwest Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year, First Team All-MWC South Division, and Second Team All-West Region. He was even a nominee for the Gagliardi Trophy, Division III’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

Although he graduated in May of 2017, he was granted a fifth season to play because of an injury. Now he’s back home in New Orleans, waiting to hear from the medical schools to which he’s applied as the next step toward his goal of becoming a pediatrician. Until then, he’s “just relaxing” he says with a laugh. “I know medical school will be challenging so I want to prepare myself for that. I will do volunteer work and continue to pursue my interest in health care until I get there.”

While Joseph, who graduated with a degree in biology, loved playing college football, he says his time at Cornell was much more than that. “I have had the opportunity to experience it all at Cornell,” he says, citing as an example his six-and-a-half weeks in Peru with Professor Marty Condon researching the biodiversity of tropical flies.

He says the honors he’s earned have been great but he’s got things in perspective.

“In 10 years I won’t remember every play I made or every win we had in my five years at Cornell,” he says. “What I will remember are the brothers I made: the ones who danced to ‘She’s a Maniac’ with me at 6:30 a.m. workouts, or let me crash in their dorm rooms throughout my fifth season, no matter how hard it was for them, and especially the ones who opened their doors to me for the holidays when I wasn’t able to go home.”

When asked about people who influenced him at Cornell, Joseph singles out Rams trainer Loren Nydegger. “After my injury he was there for me every step of the way. He never let me quit or slack off and, more importantly, never let me take a day off, even if it meant kick-starting me, literally and physically,” he says.

That’s just one of the many facets of Cornell Joseph takes with him as he heads into the world of medicine.