Central Michigan University Athletics
MAC Black History Month Salute: Joanne Hoskins
2/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Feb. 9, 2006
In an effort to pay tribute to its history, the Mid-American Conference will be saluting former MAC African American student-athletes, head coaches and administrators during the month February as part of Black History Month.
Each weekday during the month the league's web site (www.mac-sports.com) will feature a former MAC student-athlete who excelled on or off the field of competition. Most of the stories have been written and researched by current MAC students who are majoring in the area of journalism or public relations.
The following story on CMU volleyball player Joanne Hoskins, appeared on mac-sports.com on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
By Kirkland Crawford
CMU Senior Broadcasting Major
At only five-feet, six-inches, the odds always seemed to be against Joanne Hoskins as a Central Michigan University volleyball player. That was until the first serve of the match.
"She is perhaps the purest athlete I ever coached," CMU Senior Associate Athletic Director and former Volleyball head coach Marcy Weston said. "Once she jumped, you found out why she was a middle hitter."
At the beginning of the 2005 season, Hoskins (1980-84) was still fifth all-time in kills (1,618) and solo blocks (155) for a career in the MAC.
But, there were several obstacles in Hoskins' way during her career as a Chippewa. The biggest barrier for Joanne was Joanne.
Her career at CMU began in 1980, helping the Chippewas win the Michigan AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) state title. But, Hoskins did not perform in the classroom like she did on the court. A lack of academic effort forced CMU to kick Hoskins out of school.
Hoskins went to a community college in west Michigan, from 1980-81, to bring her grades up. But her ultimate goal was to go back to Mt. Pleasant and rejoin the volleyball team.
"I was bound and determined to do that, because I was black," she said. "I know they weren't expecting me to come back."
Hoskins did make the grades necessary to return to the Chippewas. Weston said she saw a different person in the same uniform when Hoskins came back to campus.
"She appreciated what she lost that year she was out of school," Weston said. "She seemed to say, `I need to get my education.' She just seemed more focused."
Hoskins played three more years and was named to the All-MAC teams in 1983 and 1984. In her senior season, she was named the 1984 MAC Player of the Year.
Another element of Hoskins' career was that she was the only African American on CMU's volleyball team. However, this did not deter Hoskins.
"I moved from the inner city of Grand Rapids to the northeast side," she said. "I was use to mingling with white people. We all eventually got along. It was really no big deal."
"The fact that there weren't any black players here in the Midwest, that wasn't gonna stop me from playing, it would push me," Hoskins said.
When Weston was recruiting Hoskins, she gathered that Hoskins would be able to fit into any situation. Still, she thought it was necessary to tell the new recruit.
"I told her we don't have any African Americans on the team. She said that wasn't a problem."
"But some credit has to go to the rest of the team," Weston said. "They had to treat her with respect so (Hoskins) could be comfortable. But, her being an African-American was never an issue."
Hoskins was inducted into the Central Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994, her first year of eligibility. The CMU alum was honored beyond belief.
"I was like, `what!' I was just shocked. Then, they sent me the list, and I'm looking, and I say, `hey, there aren't any black women on here, either.' I just cried," Hoskins said.
Today, Hoskins is a social worker with the state of Michigan and lives in Grandville, a suburb of Grand Rapids.
"I have, with my clients, told them that in life, you have choices you can make," Hoskins said. "I can empathize with those clients, because I come from where they are."
Kirkland Crawford is a Central Michigan University senior from Detroit, Mich. He also is a Sports Director for WMHW-FM 91.5 Mt. Pleasant and Sports Reporter - NewsCentral 34, CMU Public Television and MHTV Sports. Crawford majors in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts, minor in Journalism and a recipient of the Lem Tucker Journalism Scholarship.
