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Joe Gilliam Sr.
Biographical details
Born	March 27, 1923; Steubenville, Ohio, U.S.
Died	November 14, 2012 (aged 89); Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1947–1949	West Virginia State
Basketball
1947–1950	West Virginia State
Position(s)	Quarterback (football); Guard (basketball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1952–1954	Oliver HS (KY)
1955–1956	Jackson State (assistant)
1957–1958	Kentucky State
1959–1960	Bate HS (KY)
1961–1962	Jackson State (backfield)
1963–1983	Tennessee State (DC)
1989–1992	Tennessee State
Head coaching record
Overall	23–36–2 (college)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
	WVSU Sports Hall of Fame (1987); OVC Coach of the Year (1990)

Joseph Wiley Gilliam Sr. (March 27, 1927^[1] – November 14, 2012) was an American football coach. He played football and basketball in college.

Biography

Gilliam was born in Steubenville, Ohio and graduated from Steubenville High School in 1945.^[2] He began his collegiate playing career at Indiana University Bloomington, where he played on the 1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team. After one semester at Indiana University, he joined the United States Army.^[2] In the fall of 1947, he enrolled at West Virginia State College (class of 1952), where he was an All-American at quarterback.^[2]

Gilliam was head football and basketball coach at Oliver High School in Winchester, Kentucky from 1952 to 1954, winning a state championship in football in 1954.

Gilliam joined coach John Merritt's coaching staff at Jackson State University in 1955 and left in 1957 to become head coach at Kentucky State University. After compiling a record of 2–13–1 at Kentucky State, he coached briefly at the high school level before returning to Merritt's staff at Jackson State. He followed Merritt to Tennessee State University,^[3] where, as defensive coordinator, he helped the Tigers to four undefeated seasons and seven black college football national championships in a 20-year span.

Gilliam served as head coach at Tennessee State from 1989 to 1992, earning Ohio Valley Conference Coach Of The Year honors in 1990.

Gilliam is father of former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Joe Gilliam, and the grandfather of R&B singer Joi. Gilliam was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall Of Fame in 2007. At the time of his death in 2012, Gilliam was residing in Nashville.

Head coaching record

College


Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing
Kentucky State Thorobreds (Midwest Athletic Association) (1957–1958)
1957	Kentucky State	3–6	1–3	4th
1958	Kentucky State	0–7–1	0–3	5th
Kentucky State:		3–13–1	1–6
Tennessee State Tigers (Ohio Valley Conference) (1989–1992)
1989	Tennessee State	5–5–1	3–3	T–3rd
1990	Tennessee State	7–4	4–2	3rd
1991	Tennessee State	3–8	2–5	T–6th
1992	Tennessee State	5–6	5–3	4th
Tennessee State:		20–23–1	14–13
Total:		23–36–2

References

^ "Coach Joseph Wiley "Joe" Gilliam Sr". findagrave.com. Find A Grave. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Joseph W. Gilliam, Sr., Class of 1952", Eight Annul Sports Hall of Fames Induction Ceremony, West Virginia State College National W-Club, Institute, West Virginia, Homecoming (event), October 3, 1987, page 183.
^ Henderson, Ashyia (2002). Contemporary biography. Gale Research Inc. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-7876-5282-1. Retrieved April 16, 2011.