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Josie Harper

Hall of Fame

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Inducted 2006

College

West Chester University

Jo Ann "Josie" Harper was inducted as a truly great coach. Harper, the director of athletics and recreation at Dartmouth College from 2002-2009, began her teaching and coaching career at Swarthmore High School in 1965 before moving to Penncrest High School, where she compiled a 39-3-4 record. Harper was the coach at Dartmouth from 1981 to 1992, leading the Big Green to a pair of Ivy League championships. In 11 seasons as coach, she led Dartmouth to an overall record of 88-69 and 37-28 in the Ivy League. Harper led the team to its first Ivy League championships in 1986 and 1987, the ECAC championship in 1988 and to the NCAA Tournament in 1983. She relinquished her coaching duties in 1992 to focus on her full-time administrative role. 

In addition to her collegiate coaching duties, Harper coached with the U.S. National Team from 1979 to 1987. She served as an assistant coach for the 1981 U.S. touring team to Australia, an assistant in 1982 for the U.S. team that won the world championship in England, head coach of the 1986 U.S. World Cup team, and head coach of the first U.S. Women's Under-21 team that toured Scotland, England and Wales in 1987. Harper has been previously inducted into the US Lacrosse New England Hall of Fame, West Chester University Athletics Hall of Fame, and Pennsylvania Lacrosse Hall of Fame.