Joe Germaine was one of the reasons the Ohio State Buckeyes sustained their success in the mid-to-late 1990s in Columbus. The quarterback went on to have a professional career as well, with stops in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Arizona.
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Joe Germaine's College Career
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Joe Germaine's journey to Columbus was not a straight path. He had to prove himself at Scottsdale Community College before he'd be able to earn a scholarship. Germaine was recruited to play for Ohio State after playing three sports for Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona.
Germaine was brilliant under center for the Buckeyes. In three seasons, he accrued over 6,300 passing yards and 56 touchdown passes.
Ohio State football is traditionally a powerhouse, and these three years were no exceptions. In 1996, the team won the Rose Bowl on the back of Germaine's play.
He orchestrated a drive down the field to stun Arizona State and earn Player of the Game honors. OSU reached the Sugar Bowl in his other two seasons as starting quarterback.
In 1998, thanks to a 25-touchdown season and an 11-1 record (one of those wins coming against Tom Brady's Michigan Wolverines), Germaine was named MVP of the Big Ten Conference. Following this tremendous success, Germaine declared for the NFL Draft.
Joe Germaine in the NFL
The St. Louis Rams picked Germaine in the fourth round of the 1999 Draft. Playing as Kurt Warner's backup, Germaine only got to throw 16 career passes.
Interestingly, though he seldom got into games, two of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns. That Rams team would go on to beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXIV, and he will always be attached to that team.
Germaine bounced around with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and San Diego Chargers, but he never completed another NFL pass.
Joe Germaine in the AFL
Much like his former teammate Kurt Warner, Germaine moved to the Arena Football League. He spent 2004-05 and 2010 with the Arizona Rattlers but did not play often.
His career resurgence came in 2006 with the Utah Blaze, with whom he played for three seasons. He ended his time in the AFL with 14,416 total passing yards, 290 touchdowns, and just 38 interceptions.
Joe Germaine Now
Today, Germaine is the head coach of Queen Creek High School. He took over in 2012, and the Bulldogs immediately went undefeated and won the Arizona Division III State Championship, but he resigned due to a busy schedule. He was working at Axon Sports as a primary job and could not balance the two.
Thankfully, he returned to the sidelines in 2019, taking the reins from former teammate Travis Schureman. Queen Creek is a consistent playoff contender, and the hope is that they will once again find the glory they captured in 2012. This roster is full of players who could one day join prominent college football programs, such as Germaine's alma mater.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have boasted many solid players throughout their long and storied history, and Joe Germaine is definitely one of them.
His NFL career may not have taken off, but he will always have his collegiate memories to look back on. Hopefully, his time in his new role as a high school football head coach will be equally prosperous.
