I see on Facebook Joe Velazco aka Big Joe passed away. Big Joe was a real character and one of the big goalkeeper coaches in SoCal. Had been less active in recent years due to ongoing health concerns but he was still a pillar of the gk community. My son loved going to his camps when he was a younger. He had a great way of pushing kids to do the smother by using the rubber chicken. One of the good guys. Rip.
Big Joe
- Thread starter Grace T.
- Start date
Just heard this as well. He was a presence in the South Bay with keepers. He has trained so many D1 keepers and advocated for them. Last night he was setting up for a training when he suffered a massive heart attack. I also just heard he was setting up a gathering for a goal keeper he trained who just passed away. Terrible news.
Mystery Train
GOLD
If you had a keeper anywhere in LA during the past 15-20 years, you knew who Big Joe was. My daughter did one of his camps. Condolences to his family and players.