Joe Tafoya

Joseph Peter Tafoya (born September 6, 1978) is a former American National Football League player and entrepreneur. He played seven seasons as a defensive end/linebacker before injuring his foot in training camp of 2008, upon which he retired. He was drafted in the 7th round of the 2001 NFL Draft by Tony Dungy and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Injured in the first pre-season game of his professional career with an ankle fracture, he was released on injury waivers and picked up by the Chicago Bears. He spent three seasons with the Chicago Bears and appeared in the 2001 NFC Divisional playoffs game against the Philadelphia Eagles where he recorded three tackles. Tafoya was picked up as a free agent by the Seattle Seahawks. He appeared in the 2005 Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was then picked up as a free agent by the Arizona Cardinals in 2007 and released after he suffered a career-ending injury during the 2008 training camp.

Upon retirement he acquired a Mobile Entertainment company developing mobile applications focused on fan engagement. He was invited to speak at the 2011 AT&T Developers Conference as part of the AT&T Keynote Speech by CMO David Christopher on the topic of fan engagement through mobile technology. With a continued focus on fan engagement he began working with former players Kerry Carter, Chike Okeafor, and Lance Briggs to build a fan focused mobile solutions at the SXSW Mobile App Hackathon.