Florida Atlantic softball trainer Joan Joyce, the head coach in the program’s 28-year history whose various distinguishing strengths included once striking out Ted Williams, has passed on, the school reported Sunday.
Joyce died on Saturday, the school said, without revealing the reason. She was 81.
FAU President John Kelly said; “Joan was a true sports legend, and we are grateful for the 28 years she spent here, modeling the best in personal and professional behavior for our student-athletes.” “Joan’s legacy will live on at the university and across the country through the generations of young women she inspired to play — and excel at — softball and golf.”
Joyce was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. She spent 19 years as a member of the LPGA Tour — needing only 17 putts to get through a round in 1982 — and also served as FAU’s women’s golf coach from 1996 through 2014.
