Knox County Football Program Retires Terry Joyce Gridiron Number
Knox County Football Program Retires Terry Joyce Gridiron Number
By David Sharp
Representatives of the Knox County Athletic Booster Club and the Knox County R-I School District presented a jersey as well as two plaques to the family of former NFL and Eagle football player Terry Joyce.
The September 9 ceremony was held at halftime of Knox County’s first home football game of the 2011 season with North Shelby.
Edina Sentinel sportswriter David Sharp read a statement highlighting the career of Knox County’s only NFL football player to date. Terry Joyce was a 1972 graduate of Knox County High School. The Edina native attended St. Joseph’s Elementary School.
Terry Joyce was an all American punter at Missouri Southern State University at Joplin.
Joyce led the nation in punting his senior season.
He signed with and made the opening day of the 1976 season roster of the St. Louis Football Cardinals.
Terry Joyce played in 18 regular season NFL games. He played for the Los Angeles Rams, as well as the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers.
Joyce is one of only five men to play in the NFL regular season from the Quincy Herald-Whig coverage area.
The football number ten is the only athletic number to be retired since the Knox County R-I school district was formed in 1963.
KCHS sophomore Donovan Edwards was using #10 before the football digit was retired.
Donovan Edwards will be the last Knox County football athlete to wear number ten. Edwards scored three touchdowns the night Terry Joyce was honored at Ella Campbell Field.
Knox County High School alumni Tim Joyce, Tracey Joyce and Ted Joyce accepted the honor on behalf of their brother Terry. Tim Joyce gave the acceptance speech.
“Terry got to live his dream,” Tim Joyce said. “A kid from Edina, Missouri could go on and play pro football.”
Tim Joyce encouraged young people in the large crowd attending the football game and retirement ceremony to follow their dreams and work hard to achieve them.
The former Knox County Eagle lineman quipped that “there weren’t many times when I played we were up by 32 points at halftime.”
Tim Joyce congratulated the football program on their improvement throughout the years.
Tim Joyce closed his remarks with a resounding “Go Eagles!” Terry Joyce died on June 17, 2011 after a three year battle with brain cancer.
