Peoria Planning Commission Chair Joysaphine Waitman-Powell and her brother Corliss Waitman grew up in a very athletic household.
Their father laid the ground work, playing professional basketball overseas and was an MVP in the Netherlands in 1989.
Their mother was also a runner.
The two siblings ran track together as well as played soccer in High School. Later soccer turned into kicking and punting for Corliss after one of the football coaches jokingly asked him to kick a football instead of a soccer ball.
In a way, that’s how Corliss is about to play in one of the most important games of his career this weekend.
Corliss is the punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who control their playoff destiny in a game against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday.
Waitman-Powell said it’s important to show up for the people who helped shape her life, whether that’s in sports, public service, or the community.
So it’s no surprise she is on her way to supporter her brother in the biggest game of his season.
Waitman-Powell said her brother is especially grateful for the opportunity he’s had under Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, and for the consistency and trust the organization has given him.
“I’m incredibly excited. As a family, we have a tradition of trying to attend at least one or two of Corliss’s games every year, and we’ve done that consistently since his college days. There’s something special about showing up, no matter the stadium or city,” she said. “This game feels particularly big. The energy is high, the fans are locked in, and with playoff implications in the air, every moment matters.”
Corliss has been in the National Football League since 2020 and has played for several teams, but has been with the Steelers the longest.
Waitman-Powell said, if you ask him, every game matters.
“Corliss approaches every game like it’s the biggest game of his career. The stakes feel higher because of the atmosphere, the fans, and what’s on the line, but his mentality never changes. Faith, preparation, focus, and gratitude, that’s how he shows up every time,” she said.
Corliss has a number of Peoria Connections.
Before Corliss officially made it into the NFL, he spent time training in Arizona and stayed weekends with Waitman-Powell and her husband Rev. Staccato K. Powell II in Peoria while attending training camps.
“Those seasons were pivotal for him,” she said.
Corliss was baptized in their Peoria home by Powell II, an ordained minister and local pastor with a doctorate in ministry.
“It was deeply personal and spiritual, and Peoria became part of his faith journey,” Waitman-Powell said. “Peoria has been a place of grounding, renewal and family bonding for him, especially in the off-season where he comes to visit our sons — his two nephews — who love football and prayerfully will play lots of sports here in Peoria as they are growing up here and have lived here their entire young lives.”
With the critical NFL game on the horizon, Waitman-Powell reminisced on how sports were how she and her siblings learned teamwork, resilience, and how to push themselves.
“We were competitive, but it was always rooted in family,” she said. “Sports weren’t just something we did, they were part of how we bonded as a family. Winning matters to us, but so does humility, faith, and knowing when it’s someone else’s moment to shine. At the end of the day, that’s what binds us: family, faith, and always striving to be better than we were yesterday.”
Senior News Editor Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on X @philiphaldiman. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria
Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
Keywords
Peoria,
Arizona Planning Commission,
Joysaphine Waitman-Powell,
Corliss Waitman,
sports,
athletics,
NFL,
Pittsburgh Steelers,
Baltimore Ravens,
football,
playoffs