Joe Curl

Joseph Allen Curl (December 1, 1954 – April 14, 2014) was an American women's basketball coach at the University of Houston. He coached at Houston for twelve years, during which time he compiled a 193-167 record. In 2001 and 2002, the Cougars made back-to-back WNIT appearances, and in 2004 and 2005, back-to-back NCAA appearances.

Joe Curl
Biographical details
BornDecember 1, 1954
Sioux City, Iowa
Died (aged 59)
Houston, Texas
Playing career
Basketball
1975–1978Wayne State (NE)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1979–1981South Sioux City HS (boys' asst.)
1981–1982South Sioux City HS (girls')
1982–1984South Sioux City HS (boys')
1984–1986Kansas Newman (men's asst.)
1986–1987Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic HS (boys')
1987–1989Central Oklahoma (asst.)
1990–1993Trinity Valley CC
1993–1994Stephen F. Austin
1994–1996Blinn
1996–1998Blinn (men's)
1998–2010Houston
Head coaching record
Overall216–174 (.554) (NCAA)
97–51 (.655) (NJCAA women)
18–42 (.300) (NJCAA men)
Tournaments1–3 (NCAA)
4–2 (WNIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards

As a junior college and NCAA head coach, he had a career 331-252 (.554) record.

Early life and education

Born in Sioux City, Iowa, Curl grew up in nearby South Sioux City, Nebraska and graduated from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska in 1978 with a bachelor's degree and was a basketball player there.[1]

Coaching career

High school and junior college (1981–1993)

Curl returned to South Sioux City after college to become a teacher at South Sioux City High. In 1979, Curl became an assistant boys' basketball coach at the school. After two years in that position, Curl became girls' basketball head coach and went 3–17 in the 1981–82 season. From 1982 to 1984 as boys' head coach, Curl went a cumulative 7–29.[2]

In 1984, Curl moved to Wichita, Kansas to become an assistant coach for a newly formed men's basketball program at Kansas Newman College (now Newman University, Wichita), in addition to a physical education teacher and athletic director at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School.[3] Curl became head boys' basketball coach at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School, also in Wichita, in June 1986.[3] After a 6–14 record in the 1986–87 season, Curl resigned in June 1987.[4]

Curl entered graduate school at the University of Central Oklahoma in 1987 and earned his master's degree in 1990.[5][6] While pursuing graduate studies, Curl was head women's volleyball coach as well as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's basketball teams for the Central Oklahoma Bronchos from 1987 to 1989.[5]

From 1990 to 1993, Curl was head women's basketball coach at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas and went 56–23 in his three seasons as head coach, including a 26–4 record and number-one national ranking in the 1992–93 season.[1][6]

Stephen F. Austin and Blinn (1993–1998)

Curl had his first NCAA-level position in the 1993–94 as head women's basketball coach at Stephen F. Austin State University, during which he helped the Ladyjacks to the Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance.[1]

Curl was head women's basketball at Blinn College from 1994 to 1996, with a 31–28 overall record. From 1996 to 1998, Curl coached men's basketball at Blinn, going 18–42.[6]

Houston (1998–2010)

Curl became head coach at the University of Houston in 1998. After two losing seasons, Curl led the Houston Cougars to a 19–13 record and WNIT first round appearance in the 2000–01 season. In 2001–02, Curl led Houston to a 26–8 record and to the WNIT final.[6]

In the 2003-2004 campaign, the Cougars went 28-4, establishing school records for wins and winning percentage. The Cougars won both the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. That qualified them for a number 3 seed in the tournament. For his success, he achieved national coach of the year honors by several media outlets.

Curl was awarded the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year award in 2004, as well as the AP College Basketball Coach of the Year[7][8][9]

From 2000-2005, Curl's staff included Todd Buchanan who would ultimately serve as head coach of Houston upon his retirement.

He died on April 14, 2014, at the age of 59.[8]

Head coaching record

The following table lists Curl's record as an NCAA head coach.[10][11]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks (Southland Conference) (1993–1994)
1993–94 Stephen F. Austin 23–716–21stNCAA First Round
Stephen F. Austin: 23–7 (.767)16–2 (.889)
Houston Cougars (Conference USA) (1998–2010)
1998–99 Houston 5–221–1512th
1999–2000 Houston 7–213–135th
2000–01 Houston 19–1310–63rdWNIT First Round
2001–02 Houston 26–811–32ndWNIT Runner-up
2002–03 Houston 15–136–86th
2003–04 Houston 28–413–11stNCAA Second Round
2004–05 Houston 21–910–4T–3rdNCAA First Round
2005–06 Houston 12–178–8T–6th
2006–07 Houston 9–195–11T–9th
2007–08 Houston 15–169–74th
2008–09 Houston 19–1011–5T–2nd
2009–10 Houston 17–1510–6T–2ndWNIT First Round
Houston: 193–167 (.536)97–87 (.527)
Total:216–174 (.554)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References
  1. "Joe Curl". University of Houston. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  2. Hersom, Terry (April 16, 2014). "Former South Sioux coach Curl dies at 59". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  3. "Joe Curl Named Head Boys' Basketball Coach at K-MC". The Catholic Advance. June 12, 1986. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  4. "Kapaun hires Trinity cage coach". The Salina Journal. June 17, 1987. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  5. "In Memory: Faculty/Staff" (PDF), Old North, University of Central Oklahoma, p. 48, Fall 2014
  6. "Joe Curl" (PDF). 2007-08 Houston Women's Basketball. University of Houston. 2007. pp. 66–67.
  7. "USBWA WOMEN'S HONORS". USBWA. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  8. Duarte, Joseph (2014-04-14). "Former UH women's basketball coach Joe Curl dies at 59". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
  9. Stickney, W.H. Jr. (April 4, 2004). "A reward for job well done; Curl earns AP coaching honor after leading UH to 28-4 mark". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 6, 2004. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  10. "2016-17 Southland Conference Women's Basketball" (PDF). Southland Conference. pp. 98, 101, 107.
  11. "University of Houston Media Almanac: 2011-12 Cougar Women's Basketball" (PDF). University of Houston. 2011. pp. 67–72.
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