Born: 18 August 1940, United States
Died: 26 March 2022
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Joan Joyce was a versatile and accomplished athlete and coach. Joyce excelled as a softball player for the Raybestos Brakettes and the Orange Lionettes. She also achieved records on the LPGA Tour as a golfer and with the USA women’s national basketball team. Additionally, she made significant contributions as both a player and coach for the Connecticut Clippers volleyball team.
During her softball career, she threw really fast, at over 70 miles per hour. She pitched an incredible 150 no-hitters and 50 perfect games, with an average of 0.09 runs earned throughout her career. She won 42 times in one season and didn’t let the other team score in 38 games. Her 1974 Brakettes team was the first American crew to win the world championship.
Joyce dedicated 28 years to coaching softball at Florida Atlantic until her passing in 2022.