Remembering Dr. Joyce Curtis: A trailblazing figure in ACU Athletics

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – Dr. Joyce Mae Curtis, a trailblazing figure in women’s intercollegiate athletics at Abilene Christian University, died on September 1, 2024, in Abilene at the age of 87.

Courtesy of Abilene Christian University

ACU’s Ron Hadfield shared Curtis was born in Cleburne, Texas, on August 27, 1937. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in health, physical education, and recreation in 1959 and a master’s degree in physical education in 1960, both from the University of North Texas. She completed her Doctor of Physical Education degree in 1970 at Indiana University. During her time at Indiana University, she was involved in organizing and coaching the first women’s tennis teams from 1968 to 1970. These teams began competing in the Big Ten Conference in 1974.

During her 45 years at ACU, Curtis taught in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition from 1959 to 2004. She retired as a professor emerita of exercise science and health. Additionally, she coached ACU badminton club teams in intercollegiate and open competition from 1960 to 1962. She also served as the founding head coach in women’s basketball from 1971 to 1976 and women’s volleyball from 1971 to 1979. She was the first assistant athletics director for women from 1979 to 1980.

Her ACU teams qualified for the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) state and regional tournaments. They competed against universities such as Texas, Baylor, and Houston. In 1979, her volleyball team finished fourth in the state.

Besides coaching on the field, she also authored the first pickleball textbook , ‘ Pickle-Ball for Player and Teacher, ‘ in 1984. She helped generate interest in Texas schools through presentations at annual state teachers’ conventions, where ACU students demonstrated the game. Dr. Joyce M. Curtis Center Court for Pickleball was dedicated in August.

Curtis received a Pathfinder Award from the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD) in 2008 and the American Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD, now Shape America) in 2009. She was inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

“My Hall of Fame friend, master teacher, and coach left her mark at ACU in so many ways,” said Deonna (Moore ’86) Shake, instructor of kinesiology and nutrition and former Wildcat basketball standout and assistant coach. “Joyce championed the first women’s volleyball and basketball teams, mentored hundreds of educators, and introduced pickleball to her classes and to a wider audience around the world. I am honored to continue to grow that sport on our campus and live out her legacy.”

Kathy (Williams ’79) Moore was an outstanding player for Curtis and subsequently became ACU’s second head volleyball coach and coordinator for women’s athletics.

“When I took over as head coach of the volleyball team, I knew I had big shoes to fill. I was honored that she trusted me to carry on the legacy she had built. I was young and inexperienced, but Joyce believed in me and was always there to offer advice and encouragement,” said Moore, who coached the Wildcats for seven seasons. “She was proud of the role she played in bringing competitive women’s sports to ACU. There is no way to ever measure the impact of her visionary leadership on generations of student-athletes.”

From 1997 to 2007, the Joyce Curtis Award was presented annually to the most outstanding Wildcat women’s basketball player.

ACU head coach Julie Goodenough said her student-athletes were amazed by Curtis’s stories of the early days of women’s athletics when she sewed her team’s first uniforms, packed sandwiches for road trips, and drove vehicles to shuttle players to and from games.

“When I see her picture in our locker room, it has and will continue to inspire me to lead this program with high standards of excellence,” Goodenough said. “Her perspectives on the importance of sport, exercise, and education for women are applicable today. She was a campus leader who created a legacy of service, work ethic, and faithfulness in which we will revere her as a cornerstone of our program.”

Curtis also served in leadership for Texas AIAW. She was a member of AAHPERD, TAHPERD, Delta Psi Kappa, Phi Lambda Theta, the United States Badminton Association, the Women’s International Bowling Congress, Abilene Women’s Bowling Association, and the Abilene Women’s Golf Association.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Maudie Curtis, and her brother, Bob Curtis. She is survived by a niece, DeeAnne (Curtis) Myers, and a great-nephew, Samuel Blackard.

Visitation will be from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on September 5 at Hillcrest Church of Christ, followed by a memorial service. Private burial will take place in the Garden of Restful Oaks at Greenwood Memorial Park.

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