NEW ORLEANS — Janice Joseph-Richard, whose .824 winning percentage is the highest ever by a Xavier University of Louisiana basketball coach, was announced Wednesday as a 2016 inductee of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
     Joseph-Richard (pronounced REE-shard), who died nearly five years ago, will be enshrined Saturday, June 25 in Natchitoches to culminate a three-day Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration. A 35-member Louisiana Sports Writers Association committee selected the inductees.
     Joseph-Richard coached the XU women for six seasons (1992-98), leading them to a 159-24 record, 91-11 in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference games. Her final five XU teams won GCAC regular-season and tournament championships, and the Gold Nuggets won their final 28 games (including tournaments) against GCAC opponents.
     She is the only XU basketball coach to earn four consecutive first-round victories at the national tournament. Her Gold Nuggets won in the opening round of the NAIA Division I National Championship every year from 1995-98. Joseph-Richard was GCAC Coach of the Year four times, including each of her final three seasons.
     Joseph-Richard also was a head coach at San Jose State for seven seasons (1999-2006) and her alma mater, Louisiana College, for three seasons (2007-10). Her 16-season record as a head coach was 307-163.
     As a player at Louisiana College, Joseph-Richard was an American Women's Sports Federation two-time first-team NAIA All-American and was All-GCAC four times, the last three unanimously. She collected more than 2,300 points and 700 assists at LC and as a senior (1985-86) set the GCAC season record of 283 assists. She led the GCAC in scoring and assists each of her final two seasons. Her final season she also led the Lady Wildcats to third place in the NAIA Division I National Championship at Kansas City, Mo.
     Joseph-Richard died Dec. 1, 2010, at age 46 after a lengthy battle with breast cancer.
     Current Gold Nuggets head coach Bo Browder was an assistant on Joseph-Richard's final XU team. Current Gold Rush head coach Dannton Jackson was Joseph-Richard's assistant from 1993-97. Both Browder and Jackson are the winningest XU coaches in those programs' histories.
     Joseph-Richard will be the third Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee who attended XU or whose XU accomplishments factored significantly in the selection. Donald "Slick" Watts (basketball) was inducted in 2011, and Otis Washington (football) was inducted this year. (Watts' XU coach, Bob Hopkins, was inducted in 1978 primarily because of his playing career at Grambling and in the NBA.)
     The other 2016 inductees will include Ben Sheets, Rick Jones and Dave Malarcher (baseball); Anthony Thomas. Jim Hightower and Arthur "Red" Swanson (football); and P.J. Brown (basketball). Three more inductees will be announced later this year.

Janice Joseph-Richard as Head Coach of XU Women's Basketball
	All Games			GCAC Games
Season	W	L	Pct.	W	L	Pct.		GCAC Rank
1992-93	21	8	.724	12	4	.750		3rd of 9
1993-94	28	4	.875	15	1	.938		Tie-1st of 9
1994-95	25	5	.833	14	2	.875		1st of 9
1995-96	28	6	.824	16	2	.889		1st of 10
1996-97	29	7	.806	16	2	.889		1st of 10
1997-98	28	4	.875	18	0	1.000		1st of 10
Totals (six seasons)	159	34	.824	91	11	.892

What They're Saying About Janice Joseph-Richard

Todd Keller, Former XU Athletics Director:  "Janice Joseph was a fierce competitor, and her teams always reflected her competitive spirit. Janice accepted the head coaching position at Xavier, which already had a rich tradition in women's basketball, and left the program as one of the most successful in the NAIA."

Sherlett Hendy Newbill, Player on Joseph-Richard's First Two XU Teams:  "She has been one of my "sheroes." What I love about Janice was her ability to relate. She not only coached champions, but she also was a champion. She challenged me on and off the court to be my best. So many memories I have of her. First and foremost when she became the coach at Xavier, we players were not happy and initially wanted her removed. But as God would have it, she was the right coach for us. She led us to the very first Xavier women's appearance at the NAIA National Championship in 1994. Janice not only trained us but also trained with us. She would run miles with us and compete against us on the court, and rarely did she ever lose. She encouraged us to be excellent, and when I graduated and moved on, I too became a coach, and she would be the person I would call to help me run my program. I remember her reaching out a to me as a graduate in need of a player to compete on her 3-on-3 Hoop It Up team in Texas — what an experience. We were champions at that level too. Janice is a first-class act. I miss and appreciate her."

Bo Browder, XU Women's Basketball Head Coach:  "When I think of All-America women's basketball players from Louisiana who became great coaches during my era, I think of Kim Mulkey and Janice Joseph. Janice had an edge about herself. She was very competitive as a player, and she was able to transition her competitive edge to her players on and off the court. She challenged her players in the classroom and on the basketball court. That's why her teams were successful — because they were so darned competitive. During my one season with Janice, she instilled in me the attitude that I could be a great coach with a no-nonsense attitude and still be a great person off the court."