Navy offensive lineman Joe Person walked off the practice field Thursday at the Charlotte Latin School tired and sore.
The 6-foot-4, 252-pound senior from Havertown, Pa., needs surgery on his knee and his shoulder after the season, which will add up to five medical procedures in his career. Despite the pounding his body has taken while playing sparingly over the last four years, he doesn?t regret a single day of his life at the Naval Academy.
He is proud of being a part of a team that has gone to four straight bowl games and never lost to fellow service academies Army and Air Force during that span.
Person, too, is proud of continuing the family legacy of playing Navy football. He is the fourth and final brother in his family to play in Annapolis, a tradition that began when his oldest brother, Andy, played defensive end from 1992 to ?95. Chris Person (1994-97) and Dan Person (1999-2002) played defensive line at Navy.
All told, Navy has had at least one Person on its roster for 14 of the last 15 years. That era will end after today?s Meineke Car Care Bowl between Navy (9-3) and No. 23 Boston College (9-3).
“Every fall has been football for our family,” Joe said. “It?s been a long ride. My parents are probably going to be bored, but I think they?ll still make itto a few games.”
Two other Person brothers, Brian and Fran, played football at Pennsylvania and South Carolina, respectively. Combined, the Persons have competed in 169 Navy games, along with 55 at Penn and 57 at South Carolina while earning seven bowl rings and two Ivy League championships. Also, the only sister in the Person family, Anne Marie, is a sophomore attack on American?s lacrosse team.
An already close-knit family, Joe said the fact that all of his brothers played college football, most at Navy, has made their relationships even stronger.
“It?s something that?s a really special bond that we can talk about it when we come home since we?ve shared so many of the same experiences,” he said.
Person?s parents, Bill and Suzanne, said they feel very lucky to see all of their sons play football at such a high level. They know today?s game will represent a bittersweet moment for them.
The last 15 years have been an unbelievable journey for the family, Bill said. He and his wife have watched their sons play at Navy during the high point of the late 1990s when the Midshipmen won the 1996 Aloha Bowl, and they were there during the low point earlier this decade when the Mids went 3-30 before coach Paul Johnson turned the program around.
“We?ve been there through the best of times and the worst of times,” Bill said. “I can?t think of a better way of capping this journey off than by watching Navy walk off the field with a win over a great program like Boston College.”
Ron Snyder is a staff writer at The Examiner. He can be reached at [email protected].
