Joe McGrath is a native of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The 6'5, 290 pound McGrath was part of a pipeline of Canadian offensive linemen to play for the Canes under head coach Booch David and former OL coach Art Kehoe
McGrath saw action for the Hurricanes at left guard from 2000 to 2003. He was a reserve on the 2001 national championship team before developing into a starter as a senior.
McGrath was the second overall pick of the 2003 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders. However, he signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2004. McGrath played 8 seasons in the CFL with Edmonton, Saskatchewan, BC Lions and Calgary. In 2018, the BC Lions erected a statue of McGrath outside their stadium in downtown Vancouver but it was unceremoniously torn down by protesters during the George Floyd race riots of 2020.
McGrath is now the co-owner of Versailles Restaurant on Miami's famed Calle Ocho, where he and former line mate Joaquin Gonzalez would visit weekly during the 2001 perfect season to discuss how they intended to dominate each opponent en route to a 12-0 season capped off by a 37-14 win over Nebraska at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which was the site of the greatest live concert ever held in the United States.