Joan Sullivan

Simsbury High School Coach and Administrator 1954 - 1991

Simsbury High School Teacher and Coach for 37 Years
Coached Field HockeyTennis, Basketball, Softball, Badminton, and Volleyball
Field Hockey Coach of the Year (1975)
CT Tennis Hall of Fame (Inducted in 1985)
CT Tennis Hall of Fame Coach of the Year (1991)
Hartford Courant "Best of the Century" (1999)
CT Field Hockey Hall of Fame (Inducted in 2002)
Field Hockey Class L Championships (Three Times)
Field Hockey League Championships (Eight Times)

Joan Sullivan had a long and storied career at Simsbury High School as a coach, teacher, and administrator. She began her teaching and coaching at SHS in 1954 and was a prolific force in the SHS community for 37 years, positively impacting literally thousands of students until her retirement in 1991. Joan coached nearly every sport available to female athletes in this era including Field Hockey, Basketball, Softball, Badminton, Tennis, and Volleyball. Success followed Joan everywhere she went and she was recognized at the state level for her numerous achievements in multiple sports. She was named Field Hockey Coach of the Year in 1975. In 1985 she was inducted into the Connecticut Hall of Fame for tennis. In 1991 she was named the Connecticut Coach of the Year for her years of service to female athletics. In 2002 Joan was inducted into the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame with an overall record of 209-56-40 in her career with three state championships and eight league titles to her credit. As a culmination for her work, Joan was recognized by the Hartford Courant as one of the Connecticut’s “Best of the Century” in 1999. Joan is now retired and lives in Niantic, Connecticut.