It is difficult talking about Westfield State Football’s great defensive players without mentioning 2023 Hall of Fame inductee, Joshua Mathieu.

One of just 11 All-Americans in the history of the Owls program, he set four school records and was a four-time all-conference selection

His impact in the Owls 2009 MASCAC Championship-winning season would be hard to duplicate.

Mathieu finished the year with 45 tackles, and school season records of seven interceptions and 15 pass breakups, to lead the nation in passes defended

The Owls were top 10 in the nation in passing efficiency defense, scoring defense, interceptions and turnover margin, a defense that Owls head coach Steve Marino said it was one of the best, if not the best, defensive team he ever had in 24 years at Westfield State.

These outstanding totals for the 2009 season resulted in a slew of individual honors and awards for Mathieu which culminated with his selection to to D3football.com’s All-American First Team.

Mathieu won the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston and the NEFC Bogan Division Defensive Player of the Year awards, and was chosen for the New England sportswriters Division II/III All Star Team.

Mathieu was a rare four-time all-conference selection in the New England Football Conference’s Bogan Division.

He was a first-teamer as a freshman and a second team selection his sophomore season. He posted 37 tackles, five interceptions and seven pass breakups to be named to the first team again as a junior, before earning the league’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.

Mathieu returned an interception for a TD each season he played at Westfield State, including a 92-yarder as a junior.

He also saw spot duty returning punts (8.7 ypr) and kickoffs (20.2 ypr) during his career.

Throughout his career, he accumulated the most interceptions returned for touchdowns (4) and the most passes broken up (38) in Westfield State history. These records still stand today.

19 career interceptions are second on the Owls all-time list

When Mathieu first arrived at Westfield State for the 2006 season, the Owls only managed to win only one of ten games. He quickly became a cornerstone for their defense and assisted the Owls to three winning seasons the following years, including a perfect 5-0 MASCAC record for both the 2008 and 2009 seasons, and a MASCAC title in 2009.

A native of Fitchburg, Mathieu currently serves as a police detective in the town of Lunenburg, Massachusetts, where he has been working for the last ten years. Josh and his wife Kaylee and has three young sons Liam, Leon and Levi.