Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

An incredibly successful era came to an end as Fred Joseph stepped down as the volunteer IUP head men's golf coach at the end of the 2018 fall season. He will serve as a volunteer assistant coach under Dan Braun starting in the spring of 2019.

Joseph will go down as one of the best collegiate golf coaches in the nation. He wrapped up his 27th year as the head coach in the fall of 2018 and directed one of the top programs in the Atlantic Region for the past quarter century.

Including three seasons as an assistant coach under Don White (1989-92), Joseph has been involved with IUP golf for the past 30 years, and is arguably the most accomplished and respected coach in IUP history, regardless of sport. He boasts 86 tournament victories in 27 seasons, with 13 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championships, and 22 straight appearances in the NCAA regional tournament.
 
He's coached 13 All-Americans, including 2009 NCAA Division II National Champion Gavin Smith; has been the PSAC Coach of the Year 12 times; the Regional Coach of the Year nine times; and has led teams or individuals to 14 NCAA championship appearances.

In his final months as the head coach, Joseph led the Crimson Hawks to two team victories in four tournaments and a second place finish at the 2018 PSAC Championships in Hershey. Three of his players finished in the top five, including Matt Cocorikis (third), Jack Buccigross (fourth) and Nicholas Ward (t-fifth). 

Joseph laid the groundwork for future success with his latest recruiting class, bringing in three freshmen who contributed to IUP's 2018-19 season in Jack Buccigross, Jack Steve and Nicholas Ward. Ward was named PSAC Freshman of the Year and was the seventh-ranked golfer in the Atlantic Region while Buccigross earned all-region and All-PSAC honors. 
 

 
In late October 2017, Joseph led the Crimson Hawks to their second straight PSAC Championship and the program's eighth since 2007. They rallied from three strokes back after the first round, shooting a seven-over 291 on Sunday to best second place California (Pa.) by five strokes.

Senior Joshua Bartley took home individual medalist honors, becoming IUP's 15th individual conference champion since 1993. He shot a four-under 67 on Sunday to pace the field. 

The PSAC Championship gave the Crimson Hawks an automatic berth in the 2018 NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Region Championships in May. It was a record 22nd consecutive appearance in an NCAA regional championship tournament for IUP. The Crimson Hawks finished in a tie for fourth out of 20 teams, just one stroke off the cut line. 

Coach Joseph was named the PSAC Coach of the Year for a record 12th time after his team's efforts during the 2017-18 season. Bartley earned first team All-PSAC honors in the spring, while classmate Michael Hoare and junior Matt Cocorikis were each second team selections. Bartley and Cocorikis also earned All-Atlantic Region honors. 
 

Joseph led the Crimson Hawks to the program’s 27th all-time PSAC Championship in the fall of 2016, while also watching senior Max Kirsch take home the individual title. IUP won the team title by two strokes over West Chester, shooting a tournament-best 13-over 297 during Sunday's second round to clinch victory.
 
Kirsch rallied from seven strokes back after the opening round, shooting a career-best three-under 68 on Sunday’s second round, ultimately winning in a playoff.
 
The PSAC Championship gave IUP an automatic berth in the 2017 NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Region Championships. It was a record 21st consecutive appearance in the NCAA regional championships for the IUP program. The Crimson Hawks finished eighth out of 20 teams.
 
Kirsch wrapped up his IUP career as a four-time PING All-Atlantic Region Team and All-PSAC selection.
 

Joseph led the Crimson Hawks to the program's 32nd all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships in the spring of 2015. It was IUP's eighth straight appearance dating back to 2008, and Joseph's 13th in 23 seasons as the program's head coach. The Crimson Hawks finished the championships in 13th place with a 31-over 883, the top score of any Atlantic/East Region school by nearly 20 strokes.
 
IUP earned the automatic berth at the national championships with a second place finish at the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional Championships. It was the eighth straight year that the Crimson Hawks have finished in either first or second place at regionals, and the 14th time in the last 19 years the program has landed in the top two. Kenneth Sames won the individual title at regionals with a two-under 214, Joseph's third regional champion in the last six seasons.
 
Sames was also named the PSAC Men's Golfer of the Year, with Max Kirsch and Jack Owen joining him as second team All-PSAC selections.
 
For his efforts, Joseph was named the GCAA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.
 

The 2013-14 season will go down as one of the most memorable in program history. The Crimson Hawks finished in a tie for seventh overall after three round of the NCAA championships - the best ever finish under Joseph - and advanced to match play for the first time in program history. They would end up falling to sixth-ranked Nova Southeastern by a score of 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the match play round, although they held a lead over the Sharks late into the round. Kenneth Sames had IUP's best individual performance as he was tied for 11th overall with a seven-over 220.

IUP went into the national championships with three straight tournament victories, including their fourth win in seven seasons at the Atlantic/East Regional championships. Joseph guided the Crimson Hawks to five wins in 11 events during the full year, with five other top 10 finishes. Zack Kempa won his second straight PSAC Athlete of the Year award while Max Kirsch was named Freshman of the Year. Jack Owen and Kenneth Sames joined Kempa and Kirsch on the all-region team while Kempa (first), Kirsch (first) and Sames (second) were named to All-PSAC teams.
 

In 2012-13, Joseph guided IUP to one of best finishes in the history of program. The Crimson Hawks collected their sixth consecutive PSAC title in the fall and another appearance in the Division II National Championship in the spring. Sitting in 18th place at the NCAAs after two rounds, IUP shot a five-over 289 in the third round to come within nine strokes of moving on to the finals. The 289 was one of only four scores at 290 or under for the entire tournament, with Barry University hitting it twice (284 and 288) and Florida Southern once (280).

During the 2009-10 season, the Crimson Hawks set a school record with eight tournament wins, including another PSAC Championship. IUP won five times during the fall season and added three more victories in the spring while finishing second in two other events.

IUP golfers won six tournaments, including four by two-time All-American Gavin Smith and two more by Boyle. Boyle edged Smith for the PSAC individual title while Smith was the medalist at the East/Atlantic Super Regional. Smith, Boyle and Leo Acklin each earned spots on the all-region team, and Acklin and Ryan Kennedy were named Academic Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

For his team's accomplishments, Joseph was named the PSAC Coach of the Year for the 10th time, including six of the past seven years, and was selected the Eaton Golf Pride Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, marking the sixth time he received top regional honors.

RELATED LINK | All-PSAC Men's Golf History
 
One of the highlights of Joseph's career came in May 2009, when Smith won the Division II national championship, becoming only the fifth golfer from a northern school to claim the title since the inception of the tournament in 1963. Smith was also a three-time PSAC Player of the Year.

Joseph is well known to past IUP students beyond his capacity as golf coach, serving as the director of financial aid for 29 years until retiring from that position in 2001.

Joseph earned his bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics from Mount Union and holds a master's degree in higher education from Kent State. His wife, Candace, taught interior design at IUP, and his daughter, Jennifer, is an IUP graduate.

Updated June 25, 2018