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Joan Joyce
Biographical details
Born(1940-08-18)August 18, 1940
Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedMarch 26, 2022(2022-03-26) (aged 81)
Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Playing career
Softball
1954–1963Raybestos Brakettes
1964–1966Orange Lionettes
1967–1975Raybestos Brakettes
Golf
1977–1995LPGA
Basketball
1964–1965USA Women's National Team
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
College softball
1973–1974LIU Brooklyn
1974–1975Mattatuck Community College
1995–2022Florida Atlantic
College golf
1996–2014Florida Atlantic
Head coaching record
Overall1002–674–1 (.598)

Joan Joyce (August 18, 1940 – March 26, 2022)[1] was the softball coach at Florida Atlantic, for 28 years until her death in 2022. She previously was a softball player for the Raybestos Brakettes and the Orange Lionettes.[2] She also had set records on the LPGA Tour as a golfer and on the USA women's national basketball team, and was a player and coach for the Connecticut Clippers volleyball team.[3]

Softball

Playing career

Joyce played for the Brakettes from 1954 to 1963, the Lionettes from 1964 to 1966, and again the Brakettes from 1967 to 1975, In her career, she racked up many of the sport's records, which have yet to be broken:

Her pitches were extremely fast at over 70 miles per hour. She pitched 150 no-hitters and 50 perfect games, with a lifetime earned run average of 0.09. In her record-setting 42-win season, she pitched 38 shutouts. Her 1974 Brakettes team was the first American team to win the world championship.[3]

In exhibition games, she struck out Ted Williams at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1961 (also during a brief stint in 1966) and Hank Aaron in 1978.[2][4]

Coaching career

Joyce was co-founder (with Billie Jean King, Jim Jorgensen and Dennis Murphy) of the Women's Professional Softball League in 1976 and the coach and part owner of the Connecticut Falcons team, which won the Championship all four years of the league's history.

She was a coach at Florida Atlantic University, having coached softball since 1994 and women's golf since 1996.[5] As of 2022, Joyce's Owls team won eleven conference championships and advanced to eleven NCAA Division I softball tournaments.[3] In her first two seasons (1995 and 1996), the Owls were Atlantic Sun Conference runners-up, then won the next eight championships. They took second in 2005, then won again in 2006. The Owls won the Sun Belt Conference championship in 2007, and the Conference USA championship in 2016. Joyce was named Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2002, Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2007, and Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2018.

On March 18, 2022, Joyce earned her 1,000th career win as a head coach, becoming the 27th NCAA Division I softball coach to reach the milestone.[6][7]

Golf

After softball, she joined the LPGA Tour, in which she was from 1977 to 1994.[8] Her best finishes included sixth-place in tournaments in 1981, 1982 and 1984, including a round of 66.[8] Joyce holds the record for lowest number of putts (17) in a single LPGA round, set at the 1982 Lady Michelob.[9]

Volleyball

Joyce served as player and coach in the United States Volleyball Association with the Connecticut Clippers.[citation needed] She competed in four national tournaments, and was named to the All-East Regional team.[citation needed]

Basketball

Joyce played on the USA women's national basketball team in 1964 and 1965[citation needed], setting a national tournament single game scoring record in 1964 with 67 points[citation needed]. She was a four-time Women's Basketball Association All-American[citation needed], and a three-time Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) All-America player[citation needed].

Halls of Fame

Joyce was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame in 1983.[10] She was inducted into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame in 1999.[11]

In addition to the National Softball Hall of Fame and International Softball Federation Hall of Fame, she has been inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the Hank O'Donnell Hall of Fame, the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame, the Greater Waterbury Hall of Fame, and, as one of only three Americans, the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Death

Joyce died on March 26, 2022[12] in Boca Raton, Florida.[4]

Head coaching record

College softball

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Florida Atlantic Owls (Atlantic Sun Conference) (1995–2006)
1995 Florida Atlantic 33–18 9–5 2nd (East)
1996 Florida Atlantic 37–32 11–5 3rd (East)
1997 Florida Atlantic 42–29 14–2 1st (East)
1998 Florida Atlantic 47–20 14–6 1st (East)
1999 Florida Atlantic 49–20 10–2 1st (East) NCAA Regional
2000 Florida Atlantic 57–17 13–1 1st NCAA Regional
2001 Florida Atlantic 46–21 9–5 T–1st NCAA Regional
2002 Florida Atlantic 62–13 16–2 1st NCAA Regional
2003 Florida Atlantic 44–28 18–4 1st NCAA Regional
2004 Florida Atlantic 56–18 17–3 1st NCAA Regional
2005 Florida Atlantic 37–32 14–6 2nd
2006 Florida Atlantic 35–25 15–5 T–2nd NCAA Regional
Florida Atlantic Owls (Sun Belt Conference) (2007–2013)
2007 Florida Atlantic 42–23 16–8 1st
2008 Florida Atlantic 35–26 17–7 2nd
2009 Florida Atlantic 30–30 10–13 7th
2010 Florida Atlantic 28–26 12–10 4th
2011 Florida Atlantic 34–25 15–9 2nd
2012 Florida Atlantic 15–39 5–18 T–8th
2013 Florida Atlantic 28–29 10–12 5th
Florida Atlantic Owls (Conference USA) (2014–Present)
2014 Florida Atlantic 33–22 15–9 T–3rd
2015 Florida Atlantic 39–19–1 16–7 2nd (East) NCAA Regional
2016 Florida Atlantic 51–9 22–2 1st (East) NCAA Regional
2017 Florida Atlantic 35–21 15–9 3rd (East)
2018 Florida Atlantic 30–26 15–8 1st (East)
2019 Florida Atlantic 20–30 7–17 5th (East)
2020 Florida Atlantic 8–14 1–2 3rd (East) Season canceled due to Covid-19 pandemic
2021 Florida Atlantic 12–35 6–14 6th (East)
2022 Florida Atlantic 18–17 6–3 2nd (East)
Florida Atlantic: 1002–674–1 (.598) 348–194 (.642)
Total: 1002–674–1 (.598)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ^ "Hall of Famer Joan Joyce Has Passed Away". Florida Atlantic University Athletics. March 27, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "HickokSports.com – Biography – Joan Joyce". Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c Joan Joyce: the best Ted Williams ever faced
  4. ^ a b McDonald, William (March 29, 2022). "Joan Joyce, Dominant in Women's Softball, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "Joan Joyce". FAUSports.com. Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "Joyce Adds 1,000th Victory to Legendary Career". fausports.com. March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  7. ^ "Joyce Continues to Build Legacy, Adds 1,000th Career Win to Resume". fausports.com. March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  8. ^ a b LPGA profile – Joan Joyce
  9. ^ Whitworth sails to new heights
  10. ^ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Joan Joyce". Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  11. ^ "International Softball Federation – The ISF: Inductess/Bios". Archived from the original on July 17, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  12. ^ "Softball great, ex-LPGA Tour golfer Joan Joyce dies at age 81". ESPN. Associated Press. March 27, 2022.

External links

Sun Belt Conference Softball Coach of the Year
Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame
National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame
Categories