Joe Felton was set to attend the University ofMichigan—he even had the letter from Wolverines’ headcoach Bo Schembechler hanging on his wall. His plans changed whenhe injured his left knee in the sixth game of his senior footballseason, and his interest in medicine brought him to Albion. TheBritons were happy to have Felton on their teams as he became anAll-MIAA performer in football and track and field during hiscollegiate career.
As an offensive guard on the gridiron, Felton was theleader of the line that opened holes for Lance Brown to rush for997 yards and 10 touchdowns during the 1985 season. The Britonsposted a 4-0-1 record against league rivals in winning the MIAAtitle, and Felton was an All-MIAA first-team selection. Feltonrepeated as an All-MIAA first-teamer and added All-America awardsfrom the Associated Press and FootballNews.
In the spring, Felton was a two-time MIAA shot putchampion and a three-time All-MIAA performer.
Felton continued his football career in 1987 when hesuited up for the Detroit Lions as a replacement player during theNFL players’ strike, and he played in the Arena FootballLeague from 1988 to 1990.
He turned his attention to judo in the 1990s, winning abronze medal in the 1995 U.S. Nationals, and silver medals at the1997 U.S. Open and 1999 Pan American Championships.
He works for America’s Pride in Seekonk,Mass.
