Black Voices

Issue date: 10/21/08 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Yahoo.com Sophomore Joe McKnight is a star player on the USC football team.

There is an inner peace that radiates from him wherever he goes. He is charming, greeting people with southern hospitality unique to Los Angeles.

He is pensive-constantly thinking, wondering and dreaming. Few would believe this is USC running back Joe McKnight, whose #4 jersey is adorned by many of the 90,000 Trojan fans who fill the Los Angeles Coliseum anxious to see him play.

Because he's star player on one of the highest ranking football teams in the nation, one would assume McKnight is an egotistical jock. But his humble character reveals that he is anything but cocky.

McKnight dazzles fans with his athletic abilities. Every game they have high expectations for his performance and he always meets their demands, making him an key asset to the team. Here's an in-depth look into the life of Joe McKnight.

Hometown: New Orleans, LA

Class: Sophomore

Black Voices: What's your favorite quote?
Joe McKnight: "Life is just a dream." This is my favorite quote because I believe that people have dreams of what they want to be when they grow up but when they don't accomplish those, they figure out that it was all just a dream.

Black Voices: When did you start playing football?
JM: I was five. I would never play because I wasn't good enough because I was young at the time. I just kept playing and I didn't quit.

Black Voices: What are your goals for the upcoming year--for the team and for yourself?
JM: My goals for the team are to compete everyday and for us to give it our all-and win the national championship. My [personal] goals? I don't have any, I just go with the flow.

Black Voices: How was the transition from New Orleans to Los Angeles?
JM: It was hard in the earlier part but as the weeks went by, I have adapted to my surroundings. Coach Kenny Norton made my transition easier. He would tell me to keep working and playing hard and you will make it- it helped me out.

Black Voices: Where will you settle after graduation?
JM: L.A. will probably be my new home.

Black Voices: What do you miss the most about Louisiana?
JM: The food.

Black Voices: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
JM: To be honest, I don't know. I hope to be living.

Black Voices: When did you decide you wanted to go to the NFL?
JM: When I found out that they were paying people to play.

Black Voices: If you weren't interested in playing professional football, what career path would you pursue?
JM: I would love to be a youth counselor for children whose childhood was like mine. I'd give them everything I didn't have growing up in New Orleans.

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