“He was a true Aggie. I don’t know if the school was made for him, or if he was made for Texas A&M,” Victor Villavisencio said of his son, Joseph. “He taught me what an Aggie is supposed to be.”
Joseph Andrew Villavisencio, 22, was a senior radiological health engineering major and an offensive lineman for the Texas A&M University football team. Joseph died on Dec. 22, 2011, after being involved in a car accident. He was driving home to join family after a holiday football practice preparing for the Aggies’ bowl game later that month. The A&M offensive line served as honorary pallbearers for Joseph at a funeral service on Dec. 26.
Joseph’s family remembers him as a leader of his peers, a man passionate about serving others and a talented athlete who was also dedicated to academics.
“He was really passionate about biology and how the human body works. He wanted to improve the body and learn how to make it better,” Victor said.
Joseph’s interests were not limited to sports and academics. He also enjoyed music.
In high school, Joseph was known to play the tuba with the marching band during halftime shows — even though he was not a member of the band. Along with musical achievements, Joseph’s academic accomplishments included National Hispanic Scholar and AP Scholar distinctions. He also graduated valedictorian of his high school class in 2008.
While in college, when Joesph was not working at his job researching nuclear safety, he was engrossed with Texas A&M football. On Saturdays in the fall, he wore No. 67.
“He was so big that coaches in middle school wanted him to play football, because he was bigger than any high school kid. He was always at the front. He loved it,” Victor said.
Randy Bullock, senior petroleum engineering major and placekicker for the Aggies, said Joseph was always supportive of his teammates.
“Joe was a good guy,” Bullock said. “He was a hard worker. He really helped the young guys coming in, especially the offensive line guys, to make sure they understood everything about the offense.”
Joseph was known for his warm personality, and his authenticity attracted friends easily — especially in Carpool, where his father said Joseph used to hug everyone.
“[Joseph] was a real teddy bear. He was so sweet, and so tall, and so good with people,” Victor said. “He touched so many lives. He just wanted to help people, and make sure they got home OK.”
Bullock said Joseph was a lot of fun to be around, especially in class.
“We were both engineering majors, so the first two years we had a lot of classes together,” Bullock said. “It was nice to have someone else in class that was just as tired. It made it easy to go.”
Joseph’s ethical convictions earned him an excellent reputation among his peers. He was known to live by the motto that he often quoted: “I will not compromise my morals in the face of peer pressure.”
This was yet another reason A&M was a great fit for Joseph, his father said.
“He was a true, true Aggie. He was what an Aggie should be,” Victor said.