Spartans softball coach Jacquie Joseph is Spartan Athletics’ all-time winningest coach, says athletic director Bill Beekman as he and Michigan State University president Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. welcome her to MSU Today.
Joseph talks about how the game has changed over the course of her almost 30 years at the helm of Spartan Softball. And she talks about the challenges of being a team in the north.
“It’s problematic, no doubt,” says Joseph. “Our kids are tougher and more resilient by facing the challenges. We don’t let it be an excuse.”
Joseph describes her career path from growing up in Flint to coaching the Spartans. And she talks about how she believes intercollegiate athletics is the best leadership training for young women outside the military.
“There are very few coaching jobs better than Michigan State University that have both world-class academics and Power 5 athletics. Employers like to hire college athletes because they tend to be a little tougher and they’re not quitters.”
Joseph talks about how today’s players are much better “from the neck down,” but are “softer than ever from the neck up. They don’t come to us with the same toughness they used to.”
She explains why the ball is yellow and previews the coming season.
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