Joan Joyce was the longtime head softball coach at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), as well as a record-setting golfer and basketball player.
- Died: March 26, 2022 (Who else died on March 26?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 81.
- We invite you to share condolences for Joan Joyce in our Guest Book.
Athletic powerhouse
Joyce excelled in many sports in a career that stretched across decades. Softball was her first sport and the one most associated with her. She played as a child, then joined the Amateur Softball Association in her teens, pitching for the Connecticut Brakettes and the Orange Lionettes. In a playing career that lasted more than 20 years, Joyce set softball records including highest batting average in a season at .467, most shutouts in a season at 38, and most consecutive all-star selections with 18. In exhibition games, she struck out baseball legends Ted Williams (1918–2002) and Hank Aaron (1934–2021) shortly after their retirements. While playing softball professionally, Joyce also joined the USA national women’s basketball team. She set a record in the 1964 national tournament when she scored 67 points, the highest score by a player in a single tournament game.
In 1976, shortly after retiring from her playing career, Joyce co-founded the Women’s Professional Softball League, going on to coach the Connecticut Falcons. The following year, she joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, setting a tour record in 1982 for lowest number of putts in a round, with 17. Joyce began coaching softball at FAU in 1995, taking the Owls to 11 conference championships. Named Coach of the Year a number of times, she was still coaching at FAU at the time of her death, and she had just logged her 1000th career win on March 18, 2022. Joyce also coached golf at FAU for several years, as well as bowling professionally and playing and coaching volleyball.
Joyce on striking out Williams
“You know, I had really mixed emotions about it. I thought, ‘Maybe I should have let him hit a couple — just for the show.’ But I was too competitive. I’ve always said that if my mother put a bat in her hands and came up to hit, I’d have to strike her out, too.” —from a 2011 interview for ESPN
Tributes to Joan Joyce
Full obituary: The Washington Post
