Josh Evans

Mijoshki Antwon Evans (born September 6, 1972 in Langdale, Chambers County; died February 4, 2021 in Fayetteville, Georgia) was a defensive lineman for the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets, and the first member of the UAB Blazers football team to play in the NFL.

Evans, the son of Beverly Evans and Sandy Atkinson Jr, played for Jerome Tate at Lanett High School. His teen years were marked by violence as he was injured by a gunshot wound to the hip and a stab wound to the head.

He enrolled as a walk-on at Jacksonville State University, and then transferred to UAB in 1991, where he played for the NCAA Division III team coached by Jim Hilyer and earned a scholarship as the program moved up to Division I-AA. He was a standout lineman, recording 9 sacks and 16 tackles for loss on the 1993 which went 9-2 in their first year in Division I-AA. During his four seasons at UAB Evans recorded 274 tackles, 20 sacks, 25 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He was named as an honorable mention on The Sports Network's Division I-AA All-American team. He was inducted into the UAB Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.

Evans was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys out of college, but cut soon later. He won a roster spot at tryouts with the Houston Oilers. He made his NFL debut in 1995 and moved with the franchise to Nashville, Tennessee in 1997. Evans scored a key safety by sacking Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell in the 1999 AFC Championship Game to advance the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV. He was suspended for the 2000 season due to a violation of league's substance abuse policy. Evans returned to the Titans for two seasons as a starter in 2001 and 2002. He finished his career with the New York Jets, retiring in 2004.

In January 2020 Evans underwent surgery to remove his right kidney and parts of his pancreas and small intestine which had been affected by cancer. In June, doctors learned that the cancer had spread to his spine and liver. He died in February 2021. His funeral was held at Lanett High School's Ram Stadium.

References

• Keman, Kevin (January 26, 2000) "Shot, Stabbed, Survived!: Titans’ Evans Rises Above Gang Youth."
• "Josh Evans Named to UAB Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020." (November 6, 2020) UABsports.com
• Inabinett, Mark (February 5, 2021) "UAB’s first NFL player dead at age 48." The Birmingham News
• "Mijoshski Evans" obituary (February 12, 2021) Atlanta Journal-Constitution