Hall of Fame
Joanne McComb served Bloomsburg in numerous capacities for 26 years before retiring in 1986. She was one of the pioneers in the formation of women's varsity athletics at the school and was named the school's first women's basketball coach in 1970 – guiding the program for six years. She went 52-15 in her six seasons and is ranked fifth on the school's all-time career wins list and second on the school's all-time list in winning percentage (.776).
She also served as the associate director of athletics for nine years. Bloomsburg named the Female Underclass Athlete of the Year Award in her honor which has been presented since 1977.
In 1950, McComb played first base for the Springfield Sallies in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The team represented Springfield, Illinois, and toured the east coast of the United States (Maine to Georgia) and also competed in Canada. The league was founded by Philip K. Wrigley and remained in existence from 1943-54. Her most memorable experience was playing a shortened game at Yankee Stadium before a game between the Yankees and the Philadelphia Athletics. Some of the Yankee players served as the batboys for the contest.
On November 5, 1987, the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, opened its first "Women in Baseball" exhibit of which the AAGPBL was a central focus. The display included a list of all the AAGPBL players' names for whom there was a record.
In 1992, the Springfield Sallies also made it to the big screen in "A League of Their Own," a film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life AAGPBL. McComb played first base and portrayed herself in the movie that starred Tom Hanks.
After a year playing professionally, McComb left for college and received a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Slippery Rock University and a master's degree from Penn State University.
