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Some coaches not only define their careers but help to define the identity of their programs, their universities and even their sports as a whole. Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, an icon of college football; Pat Summitt, the only coach in the history of Tennessee women's basketball; John Wooden, leader of UCLA's eight-consecutive national champions in men's basketball. Coaches whose careers continue to have meaning well beyond their coaching days. Joan Joyce is on the path to joining that list. Joyce is the only head coach Florida Atlantic softball has had in its 11-year history. Under Joyce the program's accomplishments are unparalleled: eight-consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference Championships (1997-2004) and six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1999-2004), both A-Sun records; 510 total wins; and a .673 winning percentage. Three times the Owls have won 56 games or more, most recently in 2004, when their 56-18 mark was the third-highest win total in program history. FAU's defense of its A-Sun title that year was not an easy one, as it took a dramatic doubleheader sweep of UCF in the regular-season finale to clinch the top seed for the A-Sun Championships. In 2003 FAU won 31 of its last 41 games en route to the same postseason success. From 2003 to 2004, FAU's schedule was one of the best in the nation as the Owls faced at least three teams that went on to the Women's College World Series. In 2002 FAU set a team record and led the nation with 62 wins. It resulted in Joyce's fifth A-Sun Coach of the Year award. It was also in 2002 that FAU received its first no. 1 seed, one of eight in the nation, for the NCAA Regional. Each year Joyce continues to raise the expectation level for a program that, since its inception, has averaged 46 wins per year, making FAU softball one of the top programs in the nation. Joyce's Owls have undoubtedly been the best softball program in the conference but could also be considered the top sports program overall, having claimed more league titles (eight) than any other program - men's or women's - in the 26-year history of the A-Sun. With so much success, sometimes a season simply cannot match the high expectations. For Joyce and FAU, that season was 2005, when the Owls went 37-32, clinched the second seed for the A-Sun Championships but saw their streak of conference titles and NCAA berths come to an end. Of the 32 losses, 19 came against teams that eventually qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Individually, Joyce helped sculpt the career of Nikki Myers, who finished her four-year run in 2002. Myers twice received Second-Team All-America honors and finished her career third in NCAA history in strikeouts. Joyce has coached four A-Sun Players of the Year, with Myers receiving the honor three times and Alana Klaus being recognized in the inaugural 1995 campaign. She has also coached an A-Sun Pitcher of the Year in Candice Freel and twice, the conference Freshman of the Year. Joyce began planting the seeds of success when she was hired in May 1994. She spent nine months creating a program from scratch, but the result was an impressive 33-18 record in year one. Not only did that first year earn Joyce her first A-Sun Coach of the Year award, but she was also named Palm Beach County Coach of the Year. The building effort continued in 1996, as the team finished 37-32 and advanced to its second-straight A-Sun tournament. That year also saw Joyce take on the role of Senior Woman Administrator at FAU, a position she held until 2001. FAU's record run began in 1997 with the team's and university's first conference championship. That success resulted in Joyce's second A-Sun Coach of the Year award. In 1998 the team repeated as A-Sun champions, but because the conference lacked an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the more important goal had yet to be realized for the Owls. That changed in 1999 as FAU won its third A-Sun championship and, for the first time, appeared in the NCAA Tournament. With a record of 49-20, Joyce was once again named A-Sun Coach of the Year, while her staff was named the Southeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. In 2000 Joyce led the Owls to their fourth-straight A-Sun championship and a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. The season also featured a team-record 18-game winning streak, as Joyce again captured A-Sun Coach of the Year. The 2001 season saw FAU go 46-21, tying an A-Sun record with its fifth championship. In all, Joyce has coached 22 First-Team All-Conference selections, as well as 23 Second-Team honorees. In 2002 Candice Freel was named A-Sun Freshman of the Year, a testament to Joyce's ability to identify standout pitching talent. In 2003 Amanda Morin became the second Owl to be named the A-Sun's top rookie. Joyce's duties at FAU have not been limited to softball and administration. Since 1996 she has been head coach of the women's golf team. Much like the softball team, Joyce has led the golf team on a continual path of improvement. In 2003 the team finished second at the A-Sun Championships, its best finish. She has coached three A-Sun Golfers of the Year in Cecilie Lundgreen (1997), Jessica Polus (2002) and Natalia Navarro (2004). Outside of FAU, Joyce has been involved both as a coach and as a player at the highest levels of softball. Her coaching experience includes a four-year stint in the women's professional softball ranks, winning the World Series in each of those seasons. She has also coached and played softball with many of the nation's top collegiate coaches. A member of the National Amateur Softball Hall of Fame, Joyce holds a career pitching record of 753 wins and 42 losses. Included in her totals are 150 no-hit, no-run games and 50 perfect games. At the plate she posted a career batting average of .324. Joyce counts striking out Ted Williams in 1961 as one of her most notable achievements. A multi-sport athlete, Joyce has been inducted into the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the Hank O'Donnell Hall of Fame and is one of only three Americans who have been inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. In 1976 she was a runner-up for the Women's Sports Magazine Athlete of the Year. Her story is familiar to the fastpitch world and to most anyone who has followed the games of softball, basketball, volleyball or golf. In addition to the countless athletic honors she has received, Joyce remains an active member of the LPGA. Joan Joyce has left an indelible mark on women's athletics and is creating a legacy that will help to define Florida Atlantic University, Owls athletics and collegiate softball for decades to come.
Joyce's Coaching Record
Notable Accomplishments SOFTBALL
-Five-time A-Sun Coach of the Year (1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002)
Raybestos Brakettes Records Held (played from 1954-63, 1967-75/19 seasons):
15-Time All-America Selection (First Team unless noted)
1971 National Tournament Batting Champion (.467)
GOLF
SUPER STARS
VOLLEYBALL
BASKETBALL
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