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n o r t h w e s t e r n f o o t b a l l • D I G I T A L P R O G R A M • N O R T H W E S T E R N v s . M I C H I G A N S T A T E
student-athlete spotlight
For starters, he has an incredible support system. Joe's mom and dad, Frank and Mary Ellen, and his sister, Cara, have always been there to pick him
up when he needs it, and they've kept him grounded as his star has risen under the bright lights of big-time college football. Despite their work
schedules – Mary Ellen is a teacher and Frank is an associate justice on the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts – his parents haven't missed
a game he's played in since his pee-wee days.
"It's really special for me knowing that they're at every game, even if I don't see them in the crowd," he says. "My family gets me where I'm going;
they are the engine to the car I'm driving."
Sadly, a shared tragedy is partly what fuels that engine. In 2006, Joe's sister, Andrea, passed away at the age of 14 from leukemia, devastating the
Gazianos. Though he was very young when she died, Joe has never forgotten the bravery with which Andrea fought the disease. In fact, he still
feels her presence today. Anytime he starts thinking football is hard or loses sight of what's truly important in his life, he remembers his big sister.
"I think about her all the time and the courage she had," he says. "It was a tough time in my life, but she taught me how to face adversity. It brought
us closer as a family and made us enjoy being around each other more, because life is short and you never know when it can be taken from you. We
appreciate the time we have together."
In recent months, Frank and Mary Ellen have also urged Joe to appreciate the time he has left as a student, reminding him to not get so caught up
in preparing for the upcoming season and thinking ahead to what's next that he forgets to enjoy his last year on campus. Joe knows that's sound
advice, but he can't help but sometimes crane his neck for a look at the future on his horizon.
