A method and system for performing joint equalization and decoding of Complementary Code Key (CCK) encoded symbols. The system comprises: a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) structure for simulating an inverse communications channel response and providing an output comprising an estimation of the received symbols, the DFE structure including a forward equalizer path and a feedback equalizer path including a feedback filter; and, a CCK decoder embedded in the feedback path and operating in conjunction with a feedback filter therein for decoding the chips based on intermediate DFE outputs including those chips corresponding to past decoded CCK symbols. Decisions on a symbol chip at a particular time are not made until an entire CCK codeword that the chip belongs to is decoded, thereby reducing errors propagated when decoding the symbols. Advantageously, the trellis decoding method is implemented as a computationally efficient 64-state trellis.