There is nothing better than the bond between football, a father and his son.

Football is a game that teaches many life lessons, and a father teaching his son these lessons will help them last a lifetime.

Now the world knows the father, an NFL head coach, who took his team to a super bowl.

That’s Doug Pederson.

The one you may not know is the son, Josh Pederson.

One of Josh’s goals is to help this program get back to its former glory.

Josh is one of the most well known guys on the team.

He is fun to be around, and not one person on the team can find a negative thing to say about him, said head coach Matt Viator.

He was a tall athletic built kid, who grew up bouncing around at his father’s job.

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Josh has lived in Monroe, Shreveport, Kansas and New Jersey three times and that’s where his family lives now.

Moving around has helped Josh become the person he is today.

Moving around means constantly having to make new friends and be able to quickly adjust to your settings.

With his dad’s job, it also meant learning to be ready to pack up and move at any time.

This is evident in the young man Josh is today.

Growing up, Josh was always bigger than most kids.

He played multiple sports and was at an advantage because he had the help of his dad.

However, Coach Pederson didn’t even coach Josh in that sport.

He helped him the most in baseball.

Josh also tried out basketball and golf, which still plays a roll in his life today.

In high school, Josh didn’t start playing football until his junior year.

He was extremely athletic but didn’t quite have a home on the field.

He had tried out the quarterback position, but as Josh has said, the one thing he didn’t get from his dad was the ability to read defenses well.

So his high school coach, realizing Josh was too athletic to not be on the field, settled him in as a tight end/ wide receiver.

Coming out of high school he had the option of Kansas State, as a walk on, or the University of Louisiana at Monroe, to play tight end on scholarship.

Josh’s dad was a former quarterback at the old NLU.

Coach Pederson was part of the 1987 championship and 1990 Southland Conference championship team.

Coach Pederson got a chance to watch his son play college football for the first time this past fall, and it was a joyous moment.

“I don’t think it was the fact he was playing at my Alma mater,” said Pederson. “But it was that he was fulfilling his goal to play college football.”

The ability to watch his son play for the same university he did brought great pride to him.

In his free time Josh enjoys golfing.

He hits the course any chance he gets and has even been seen crushing golf balls in front of his apartment complex.

“One of my best memories growing up was when we were living in Wisconsin,“ said Josh.

We were going to the Packers indoor facility to meet up with Brett Favre.

“When we got there, Favre was in there smashing golf balls. After that, he and my dad drove the gator around, and I got to sit in the back and pick up the golf balls.”

That moment as a young boy helped sparked Josh’s love for the game.

He started to take the sport serioulsy in the sixth grade.

Josh started playing in tournaments, and eventually, he worked to becoming a state runner-up in his high school career.

Outside of the sports world Josh likes to be just another guy.

He says when he introduces himself to people he usually leaves out his last name, and who is dad is so that people just get to know him first.

His roommate/teammate Tyler Lamm describes him as a great guy who likes to have fun with his friends.

“When he is with his dad he lives it up, but when he isn’t, he just hangs out and acts like a regular guy,” Tyler said.

Any time something big happens in their lives or when things are looking bad, Tyler says Josh will blare some music, and the two will just go crazy.

Moments like these are when people really get to see who Josh really is.

He enjoys being part of something bigger.

But then again, he loves being able to hang out with no pressure and no fame.

A humble guy who would do anything for his friends.

His days at ULM will help shape him into an even better person; however, his time at ULM will also help shape a family legacy that will remain strong and remembered well for many years to come.