By: Jamie Weir Baldwin, Director of Athletic Communications
East Lansing, Mich. – – Softball coach Jacquie Joseph is a member of the 1982 Chippewa softball team which will be inducted into the Central Michigan University Hall of Fame during the University’s Pride & Traditions Weekend. The Hall of Fame induction will take place on Friday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.
“I am excited and honored to be a part of this great celebration, and I continue to be grateful for the opportunities afforded me as a student-athlete at CMU,” said Joseph. “Much of my philosophy as a coach is rooted in my playing and early coaching career under my college coach, Margo Jonker. She is a true coaching legend. I am looking forward to reuniting this weekend with some of the best players to have ever played the game.”
Under third-year head coach Margo Jonker, the 1982 team captured Central Michigan’s first ever MAC regular season and tournament championship in any female sport. Joseph was a redshirt freshman outfielder for the Chips, who that season compiled a 42-9 regular season record and were the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament . CMU defeated Western Michigan in back-to-back games to clinch the MAC Championship, then finished as runners-up to Michigan in the AIAW Regional Tournament, earning a bid to the AIAW World Series . In the final AIAW World Series (the NCAA began sponsoring championships for women the following fall), CMU placed fourth with a 4-2 record
The 1982 team still holds the CMU record for most wins in a single season with 51, and members of the team remain ranked in the top 10 in 16 single-season records and 17 career records for the Chips.
During her playing career, Joseph helped lead Central Michigan to three MAC titles and three National Tournament appearances. She was a two-time First-Team All-MAC selection. Joseph graduated from Central Michigan in 1985 with a degree in business administration and earned her master’s degree from CMU in business in 1987. This will be the third career Hall of Fame recognition for Joseph. In the fall of 2002, Joseph was enshrined in the Carman-Ainsworth High School Hall of Fame as a member of the 1980 state championship team, and more recently was inducted as an individual in the fall of 2005
