Joseph Cardona, a long snapper for the National Football League’s New England Patriots, was born on April 16, 1992. Cardona holds the rank of Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Cardona, a Mexican-American who was raised in El Cajon, California, is the son of Patrick and Margaret Cardona. Joe has three sisters: Sophia Cardona, Arthur, and Adrienne Hernandez, who are older siblings.
He graduated from Granite Hills High School, where he lettered in lacrosse for four years and football for two, winning conference lacrosse MVP as a senior and he graduated in 2010.
Prior to attending the Naval Academy, where he specialized in economics, Cardona spent a year studying at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island, following high school.
He played football for Navy for four years as a long snapper and was never given a foul snap penalty. The Midshipmen finished with a 30-21 record over his four years at Navy, including four victories against Army, their traditional nemesis, and participated in three bowl games.
In the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft, Cardona was selected. He represented the Navy in college football. He is the second-highest-drafted long snapper in NFL history, behind Ryan Pontbriand, and only the fourth player ever labeled as a long snapper to be selected in the first round.
He won Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII with the Patriots.