College of Charleston Athletics

Joan Cronan served as College of Charleston Women's Tennis Coach, Women's Volleyball Coach, Women's Basketball Coach and Women's Athletics Director from 1974-1983. During her tenure, the CofC Athletics program was struggling to reestablish itself in a new and competitive field of competition as well as increasing the variety of its sports programs. It was also during this time period in which the CofC women's sports programs began to flourish and receive national attention. Under Cronan, the College of Charleston was selected as the No. 1 women's athletics program in the country in 1980 by the American Women's Sports Foundation. She has been women's athletic director at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, since 1983 and was named 2005 Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators.