Joseph Allen Curl (December 1, 1954 – April 14, 2014) was an American women's basketball coach at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

. 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. 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 Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

, Curl grew up in nearby

South Sioux City, Nebraska South Sioux City is a city in Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. It is located immediately across the Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa, and is part of the Sioux City, IA-NE- SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the ...

and graduated from

Wayne State College Wayne State College is a public college in Wayne, Nebraska. It is part of the Nebraska State College System and enrolls 4,202 students. The college opened as a public normal school in 1910 after the state purchased the private Nebraska Normal Co ...

Wayne, Nebraska Wayne is a city in Wayne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,660 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County and the home of Wayne State College. History Wayne was founded in 1881 when the Chicago, St. Paul, Minn ...

in 1978 with a bachelor's degree and was a basketball player there.

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. In 1984, Curl moved to

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

to become an assistant coach for a newly formed men's basketball program at Kansas Newman College (now

Newman University, Wichita Newman University is a private Roman Catholic university in Wichita, Kansas. It is named for John Henry Newman and was founded by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ in 1933. History The college was founded in 1933 by the Adorers of the Bloo ...

), in addition to a physical education teacher and athletic director at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School. Curl became head boys' basketball coach at

Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School, sometimes called Kapaun, is a private, four year, co-educational, secondary school operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita. It is located in the east side of Wichita, Kansas. The school colors ar ...

, also in Wichita, in June 1986. After a 6–14 record in the 1986–87 season, Curl resigned in June 1987. Curl entered graduate school at the

University of Central Oklahoma The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO or Central State) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with more than 17,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founde ...

in 1987 and earned his master's degree in 1990. 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 The Central Oklahoma Bronchos, often referred to as Central Oklahoma, Central State or UCO, are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing University of Central Oklahoma, located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The 14 men's and women's varsity teams ar ...

from 1987 to 1989. From 1990 to 1993, Curl was head women's basketball coach at

Trinity Valley Community College Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a public community college based in Athens, Texas. It has four campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state. About TVCC operates four campuses serving the Texas co ...

Athens, Texas Athens is a city and the county seat of Henderson County, Texas, Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 12,857. The city has called itself the "black-eyed pea, Blac ...

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.

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 The Southland Conference's Women’s Basketball Tournament began in 1983, with the winner of the tournament receiving the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. There was no tournament from 1984-1987, b ...

title and NCAA tournament appearance. Curl was head women's basketball at

Blinn College Blinn College is a public junior college in Brenham, Texas, with additional campuses in Bryan, Schulenburg, and Sealy. Brenham is Blinn's main campus, with dormitories and apartments. History Blinn was established as Mission Institute in 1 ...

from 1994 to 1996, with a 31–28 overall record. From 1996 to 1998, Curl coached men's basketball at Blinn, going 18–42.

Houston (1998–2010)

Curl became head coach at the

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. 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 Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

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 The Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year award was established in 1967 to recognize the best men's college basketball coach of the year, as voted upon by the Associated Press (AP). A parallel award for women's coaches was added in ...

From 2000 to 2005, Curl's staff included

Todd Buchanan Todd Buchanan (born March 1, 1967) is an American college basketball coach and former head coach of the Houston Cougars women's basketball team. Career He was the sixth head coach of the Houston Cougars, and officially began in that position on Ap ...

who would ultimately serve as head coach of Houston upon his retirement. He died on April 14, 2014, at the age of 59.

Head coaching record

Women's basketball

The following table lists Curl's record as an NCAA head coach.

Women's volleyball

References

External links

Houston profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curl, Joe 1954 births 2014 deaths Houston Cougars women's basketball coaches Wayne State College alumni Wayne State Wildcats men's basketball players University of Central Oklahoma alumni Junior college women's basketball coaches in the United States Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks basketball coaches American women's basketball coaches Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States People from South Sioux City, Nebraska Basketball coaches from Nebraska Basketball players from Nebraska High school basketball coaches in Nebraska Newman Jets men's basketball coaches Central Oklahoma Bronchos men's basketball coaches Central Oklahoma Bronchos women's basketball coaches Central Oklahoma Bronchos women's volleyball coaches American men's basketball players High school basketball coaches in Kansas