Coach Joan Joyce Memorial Fund
BOCA RATON,Fla. – This past March, FAU Athletics, the Florida Atlantic community and the sports world were saddened to learn of the passing of longtime FAU head coach and legendary sports figure Joan Joyce.
Joyce passed away at the age of 81 on March 26, 2022. She was a legend in the sporting world and a trailblazer for women’s athletics. Joyce was FAU’s first head coach and led the Owls for 28 years from 1995 until 2022. She amassed a career record of 1,002-674-1 and recently became the 27th coach in NCAA Division I history to join the 1,000-win club.
FAU Athletics has established the Coach Joan Joyce Memorial Fund to honor all that Joyce has accomplished over her astonishing career.
Joyce built the Owls’ program from the ground up and wasted no time in making FAU a contender. In year one, FAU went 33-18, resulting in Joyce receiving Atlantic Sun Conference and Palm Beach County Coach of the Year honors.
Shortly thereafter, FAU began a run of dominance in the A-SUN, capturing eight-consecutive conference championships from 1997-2004, as well as making eight-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Under Joyce’s tutelage, FAU has won 12 conference championships and made 11 total NCAA Tournament appearances. Joyce has won eight coach of the year honors during her established career.
Among her numerous athletic accomplishments, including 20 hall of fame inductions, All-America recognitions in multiple sports, Softball World Series Championships, striking out two of the greatest hitters of all time (Ted Williams and Hank Aaron) and inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records, Joyce’s ability to relate and teach the sports she loved is her greatest impact. During her time at the helm of the FAU softball program, Joyce was a mentor and role model for 247 student-athletes. Joyce was also FAU women’s golf’s head coach from 1996-2014.
Please consider making a gift to the Coach Joan Joyce Memorial Fund, all proceeds will be donated to the FAU Softball program. Follow the link at the top of this page for the memorial fund website.
