By Patrick Garbin—Twitter @PGarbinDT
As soon as he set foot on the playing field as a member of the Bulldogs—literally, his first play—defensive lineman JOSH MALLARD exhibited why he had been a “sack master” while at the Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Ga. In addition, in totaling three-and-a-half sacks that afternoon against Kent State, Mallard was indicative of the nickname Jim Donnan had recently given him.
"He's just a demon—a demon,” Donnan said of Mallard. "I'm glad he's working on the other teams instead of our offense. The guy's relentless.”
Indeed, Mallard essentially only worked on other teams. He wasn’t allowed to go against Georgia’s No. 1 offense in practice because he simply disrupted what the starting offense was trying to work on. "You can't block him,” Donnan added.
It was an auspicious start to a collegiate football career which concluded in 2001 with 18 sacks and five forced fumbles—both of which still rank in the top 10 all time at Georgia—despite Mallard starting just seven games his entire Bulldog career. Notably, his 36.5 percent of career tackles which resulted in a loss remains second all time at the school, trailing only Charles Johnson (40.4 percent). And, Mallard is the only Bulldog in history to annually record at least three sacks in four consecutive seasons.
A seventh-round draft pick in 2002, Mallard would be a part of 10 professional teams in four different leagues for nine seasons spanning an 11-year period. I recently caught up with Josh from Las Vegas—where he currently resides (kind of)—to see what he has been up to:
PG: As a senior in high school in 1996-97, what other schools did you consider besides Georgia? And, ultimately, why did you decide to become a Bulldog?
JM: I also had interest in Ole Miss, UCLA, and Florida. But, at my high school—an all-male military school in Savannah—probably 90 percent of the people I was around were UGA fans. I saw how much Georgia meant to people, like my best friend. If Georgia lost on a Saturday, he would be crying on Monday after he was teased by a few guys because of Georgia losing. At the time, I wasn’t really a fan of any college team, per se. But, I loved Savannah and knew I would eventually want to come back, have a business, and possibly a family. And, I was aware that probably the best way to do all that would be to attend the University of Georgia.
PG: Speaking of your senior year, I read that you made a state-record 36 sacks in 1996. Did I read that correctly?
JM: You know, prior to that season starting, I was asked to meet with my head coach, Tom Bracket. I was going to be one of the senior leaders, and he asked me what my personal goals were for the season. I told him I wanted to have 50 sacks for the year (Mallard had totaled 22 career sacks leading up to his senior season). Coach Bracket laughed and said he appreciated my enthusiasm, but I should probably set a realistic goal. I replied, “But, that’s my goal.” I didn’t get to 50 but, yeah, I had 36 sacks.
PG: After redshirting your true freshman year because of a torn hip flexor, you made your debut as a Bulldog in the 1998 season opener. Against Kent State—your first game, and coming off the bench—you made three-and-a-half sacks, including one resulting on your very first play. What do you remember about that experience?
JM: Well, I remember it like it was yesterday. In high school, my best attribute was my quickness. When I lined up on the opposing center, I could often “swim” him before the quarterback even got the ball in his hands. That’s how I totaled a lot of sacks. Leading up to the 1998 season opener, I was demonstrating in practices and drills what I had done in high school when lined up on the center. The coaches saw it, and formed a defense with a five-man front—“Swarm”—where I was on the center at nose guard. For the third play of the game, “Swarm” was called, and I went running onto the field. It’s funny how with memorable moments in your life, not only do you often remember the moment like it was yesterday, but a lot of the other stuff—the “little things”—surrounding the moment are often vivid as well. As I ran out on the field, I remember overhearing from behind a guy from my class—Matt Wilson, an offensive lineman—say to someone else on the sideline, “I bet you 20 bucks this is a sack.” And then, with Kent State backed up with their backs near the end zone, I just happened to glance into the end zone stands, where I saw my parents sitting there! And, yeah, on the play, I got a sack.
PG: Josh, you had quite a career at Georgia, especially considering you started only seven games in four seasons. Were you ever bitter that you didn’t play more?
JM: Maybe some guys question their amount of playing time, wanting a meeting with the head coach and, from that, maybe they actually receive more time. But, I’d like to think I was more of a team player. I really didn’t question it. I just trusted in my coaches and, at the time, really didn’t think a whole lot about my playing time. I trusted in the system, and I think it worked out for the best.
PG: I’m really interested in your transition from Coach Donnan to Mark Richt as head coach, especially considering Richt didn’t arrive until your final season as a fifth-year senior.
JM: To me, as a defensive lineman, you’re not going to see a huge difference with different head coaches. Rather, I had four defensive coordinators the four seasons I played, and maybe as many defensive line coaches. That’s four systems you have to buy into, and four coaches doing things a different way—each teaching you their correct way to get into a stance, and how to get off the ball. But, in saying that, I really loved Coach Donnan. I still speak to him today. When he left a lot of the players were really sad. But, I got a great personal story about Coach Richt which may tell you a little bit about his character, and what he would do for his players.
PG: Let’s hear it.
JM: Around 2006, when I was with the Atlanta Falcons, a friend of mine and I decided to go out in Athens one night. Just before we started for downtown, I spotted Coach Richt inside of an ice cream store with, literally, 15 or so family members. As I happened to walk by, our eyes met through the glass, and I just kind of gave him a little wave and kept walking. But, Coach Richt came running out of the store. He was calling my name, and then gave me a big hug. He said he hadn’t seen me years, but had been watching my [NFL] career and was so proud of me. He then asked if my friend and I had 15 free minutes to go to his house with him real quick. I said we did. Well, my buddy was a big Georgia fan and was in awe, so he didn’t know what to say at that point. Coach Richt turns to his family and says he’ll be back, and drives us to his house. There, we go into his game room and, on the wall, a framed Georgia jersey of mine was hanging. He said he had it framed, and was just waiting until we crossed paths so he could give it to me. That meant so much to me. Coach Richt didn’t know anything of me until my final year at Georgia, but thought enough of me to do that.
PG: Besides your first game against Kent State, what other on-field moments can you easily recall?
JM: As a freshman, there were so many cool experiences, and probably because everything was so new to me. At LSU that year (1998), it was a night game that we weren’t supposed to win, and probably the most important game many of us had played to that point. I remember a lot of the plays that helped us win [28-27], like Quincy [Carter] throwing a long pass to Champ [Bailey], and Champ laying out and making an unbelievable catch. Still, again, it’s often the little things surrounding the memorable moments you remember the most, like when we came out of our locker room, and that tiger was sitting there in his cage. (At the time, LSU wheeled its live tiger mascot, Mike, in his trailer, placing it just outside the opponent's locker room as an intimidation factor.) What’s crazy to me is that no one said a thing to us about that tiger—no kind of warning. You’d think a staff member would say something to the players like, “Hey, just a head’s up, there’s a real tiger out there.” Maybe the coaches wanted us to be scared to death. I sure was when that tiger lunged towards me, even slamming his paw against the cage at me. Also, after the game, all the players and staff members quietly huddled in the locker room—some of us had our arms around each other—listening as Coach Donnan spoke. I just happened to look to my left, and standing there was the only person in that locker room not part of the football program: one of my best friends, Bubba Coleman. He passed away about a year ago from an accident. I don’t know how Bubba got in that locker room at LSU, but he did, and somehow was just standing there like the rest of us listening to Coach.
PG: At that point, would you have ever imagined you’d be drafted into the NFL a few years later?
JM: Well, just a few days before my Pro Day, I got food poisoning. I couldn’t eat or drink anything for days, and my weight dropped from about 265 to 248. I was sick and in a haze during Pro Day but, the good thing, I ran faster than I had ever run before—a 4.48 in the 40. I really think the food poisoning had a lot to do with me getting drafted.
PG: What were your first few years like in the NFL?
JM: My rookie year of 2002 with the Indianapolis Colts was a great experience as I played about 30 plays per game. But, my second year out of college, I was dumb. I had decided I wanted to be an actor. I met with [Head] Coach [Tony] Dungy and told him I didn’t think I wanted to play football anymore—that I wanted to go out to LA and become an actor. Coach respected my wishes, so I went out there for a year and kind of learned the business (Josh eventually appeared in episodes of Cold Case, The Guardian and Law & Order.). While in Los Angeles, I got a call from my agent, who said the Cleveland Browns had been at my Pro Day, and they wanted me to try out for their team—as a running back. I had never really played offense in my life. Still, I tried out with just three games remaining in the [2003] season. And, I made the team. On just my third day of practice in the locker room, Cleveland’s punter was messing around with a knife, throwing it up and catching it. Well, one time, he threw the knife up, missed it coming down, and it stuck right into his leg. The Browns had to cut me to bring in another punter. I eventually was signed by the Miami Dolphins [in 2004], where I was back playing along the defensive line, but then I got moved—moved to play fullback.
PG: After getting cut by the Dolphins and playing for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, it was then you wound up with the Falcons—right?
JM: Wanting to get back into the NFL, there was a six-month period whereby I called the Falcons’ defensive coordinator, Ed Donatell, every day at noon because I thought that’s when he would be at lunch. And, every day, he wouldn’t pick up, so I would leave a voice message asking for a tryout. Finally, one day, he picked up after only a half-ring and said, “If you promise me you won’t call me ever again, I’ll give you a workout next week.” I said, “I promise.” I tried out, they signed me, and I wound up playing nearly every game that year (2006).
PG: Football wouldn’t end for you there as you played with Atlanta followed by Denver in 2007, where you had a noteworthy eight-game stint with the Broncos. From there, you played with Cincinnati followed by a season in the now-defunct United Football League, before closing your football career in 2013 with a couple of teams in the Arena Football League. Where did you go from there?
JM: I didn’t stop playing football until I was 33 years old. Still, growing up, my dad ran a business, so I kind of knew how I could run a business the right way, and hopefully the successful way. And, I had a lot of connections in Savannah. I partnered with Brandon Day, a native of Savannah, who is our managing member at DataOne Merchant Services (www.dataonemerchantservices.com). It’s a credit card processing business where we lower businesses credit card fees. I know that type of business kind of has a sleazy salesman persona; however, I have 150 clients in Savannah, and I’m proud to say that I’ve never had a client leave me. Also, we not only specialize in credit card processing, but website design and building, mobile apps, and lending.
PG: And recently, you started a medical business?
JM: Yes, SLS—Savannah Life Sciences (www.savannahlifesciences.com)—where I partner with Jacob Thompson, a friend of mine from UGA. We are a national sales organization focused on implementing innovative solutions for healthcare environments.
PG: Where are you living, and do you have a family?
JM: Honestly, I currently reside between Savannah and Las Vegas, or wherever the next opportunity might present itself. I don’t settle down very easily. I’m single—never been married. But, if I met the right person, I might marry her tomorrow. I just haven’t met her yet.
PG: You and Kirby Smart were at Georgia together for two years. So, I just have to ask, do you have a good story about Coach Smart?
JM: Actually, when Kirby and I were younger, we dated the same girl at different times. When I was in high school, this girl was considered a goddess. So much, I almost followed her to school. But, somehow, Kirby met her. And, of course with his charm, he stole her from me (chuckling). But, seriously, I got to spend some time with Kirby a couple of weeks ago at the Paul Oliver Network. That was really cool, and it was good seeing him.
PG: Do you ever come back to Athens for a football game?
JM: You know, while playing football, it was really hard for me to come back for a game. I think I’ve been to only three Georgia games since I left. But, I will say, one of the times I came back was recently. And, I had never asked the program for anything, and won’t again, but then was the one time I did. A friend of mine and I wanted to do a certain kind of podcast, and needed to go to a game to do so. So, I asked Georgia if they knew how I could get a couple of tickets. They responded by bending over backwards for me—tickets, parking passes, the whole thing. I was really impressed with how Georgia treated a former player. In turn, I definitely want to give back to the program that gave to me. So, I’m always looking to help Georgia football in any way possible.
