Joel Smeenge was a three-sport standout at Hudsonville High, set records as a linebacker and defensive end in football at Western Michigan and played 11 seasons in the NFL, including six with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Smeenge was Hudsonville High’s Athlete of the Year in 1985-86 after starring for the football, basketball, and track teams.
He set career-records for sacks (37), tackles for loss (66) and forced fumbles (18) in his four years at Western Michigan. He was also the first Mid-American Conference player to be named All-MAC first team three times, and he earned honorable mention All-American status as a senior in 1989.
During his NFL career with New Orleans and Jacksonville he was often among the league leaders in sacks. He was taken by the Saints in the third round of the 1990 draft and played five years, mostly as a substitute at defensive end and on special teams.
Jacksonville selected him in the 1995 NFL expansion draft and he became a fan favorite while collected 34 tackles, which is the second-most in franchise history. The crowd would often join the home public address announcer in drawing out his last name after sacks. In addition, his likeness was on the side of a building for a while in downtown Jacksonville. He was part of three Jacksonville playoff teams, including the 1999 team that made it to the AFC Championship game. He was named to the Jaguars All-25 team as one of the top franchise players in history in 2019. The team was selected by the media as the Jaguars celebrated 25 years.
He went into business and investments following his football career. His daughter Raquel was a rower at Central Florida University, and his daughter Priscilla was a junior in 2020 on the University of Michigan women’s basketball team.
He is also in the Western Michigan University Athletics Hall of Fame.