Joe Earl Bostic, Jr. was born in Greensboro, NC in 1957, and is a graduate of Ben L. Smith High School. He became a four-year starter as an offensive lineman at Clemson University from 1975-1978. In 1977, he was the recipient of the ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy. By the end of his collegiate career at Clemson, Joe was a two-time first-team All-American and two-time All-ACC player in 1977 and 1978.

In 1979, Joe was selected in the third-round (64th overall) of the NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He would be named to the NFL All-Rookie team and played 10 seasons with the franchise in St. Louis and Phoenix, which is now the Arizona Cardinals. He started 115 games and played in 132 games during his NFL career.

After his playing days, he was selected to Clemson’s All-Centennial team and Hall of Fame in 1996; to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players Team in 2002 and named a Clemson ACC Football Legend at the 2018 ACC Championship Game. Joe was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.