// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Joe Heap? Someone with a lot of heap to manage?
 Heap on a 1955 Bowman football card | |||||||||
| No. 48 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Halfback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | October 26, 1931 Abita Springs, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | April 6, 2011 (aged 79) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Holy Cross (New Orleans) | ||||||||
| College | Notre Dame (1951–1954) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1955: 1st round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Joseph Lawrence Heap (October 26, 1931 – April 6, 2011) was an American professional football halfback who played for the National Football League's (NFL) New York Giants during the 1955 season.
Born in Abita Springs, Louisiana,[1] Heap played his high school football at Holy Cross High School, New Orleans, from 1947 to 1950. There, he earned four varsity letters as a football player and three in track and field.[2] He was a starter for three seasons and scored 55 touchdowns for Holy Cross High School,[3] graduating in 1951.[4] Although Heap considered attending Loyola University New Orleans and continuing to participate in track events, he decided to enroll at the University of Notre Dame.[5]
At Notre Dame, Heap started at the halfback position from 1952 to 1954, and was an Academic All-American three times; as of 2011, he is the only Notre Dame football player to be named to the Academic All-America team that many times. He also holds the record for receiving yards by a Notre Dame halfback, with 1,137 for his career.[1] Heap was Notre Dame's receptions leader in each season he was a starter, catching 71 passes in his college career.[1] Notre Dame head coach Frank Leahy said that Heap "could run, pass, kick, receive passes and run back kickoffs better than anyone I've ever coached."[2]
In the 1955 NFL draft, the Giants selected Heap in the first round, with the eighth overall pick.[6] Heap played one season in New York, appearing in 12 games and rushing for 29 yards in 8 attempts; he also returned kicks and punts.[7] Following 1955, Heap joined the United States Air Force for three years of service,[2] ultimately becoming a lieutenant colonel. Heap took a position with Shell Oil Company, and spent 30 years there.[4] He became a member of the Sugar Bowl/Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.[1] In 2011, when he was 79 years old, Heap died.[4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Irish Football Halfback Joe Heap Dies At Age 79". University of Notre Dame. April 11, 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- 1 2 3 "Joe Heap". Sugar Bowl. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ↑ Cody, Scott; Massa, Dominic (April 7, 2011). "Holy Cross, Notre Dame football star Joe Heap dies at 79". WWL-TV. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- 1 2 3 Kelly, John (May 16, 2011). "1954: Holy Cross football star Joe Heap and his wife". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ↑ Kish, Bernie (August 2009). "Notre Dame's Greatest Backfield" (PDF). College Football Historical Society Newsletter. 22 (4): 1–4. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ↑ "1955 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Joe Heap". Pro Football Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
External links
[edit]
 | This biographical article relating to an American football running back born in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
- 1931 births
- 2011 deaths
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American football halfbacks
- Holy Cross High School (New Orleans) alumni
- New York Giants players
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
- People from Abita Springs, Louisiana
- Players of American football from St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
- American football running back, 1930s birth stubs