JOAN WELLS
1948-
Inducted – 2010
One of the true pioneers of high school volleyball in the state of Kansas, no coach has been as successful as Joan Lundstrom Wells, a native of Atchison. Wells was the head coach at Lawrence High School for 27 years (1971-97) and posted a remarkable 865-89 record (a .907 winning percentage), which included 26 trips to the state tournament, 15 state championships and seven runner-up finishes. Under Wells’ leadership, Lions claimed 15 Sunflower League titles and were ranked in the Top 25 nationally in 1990, ’92 and ’95. Twenty-nine of her players went on the play at the NCAA Division I level. Wells was named the state coach of the year six times and the annual Lawrence High tournament is named in her honor. In addition to coaching volleyball, Wells also led Lawrence High to a state softball title and was the head coach in that sport for 15 years. She received letter awards in volleyball, field hockey, softball and tennis from University of Kansas athletics in 1998 as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of KU women’s sports. Wells is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame, 2003; National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, 2005; National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame, 2007. Born: December 21, 1948 – Atchison, Kansas. Graduated: Atchison H.S., 1967; University of Kansas, 1971; M.S., University of Kansas, 1979.