Joanne Poppenberg, Class of 1973

Joanne was one of the true pioneers of girls’ sports at HHS. A 1973 graduate, she played and was named captain of four different varsity sports. In 1973, she was awarded the “Director’s Key” after being named MVP of the field hockey, volleyball, basketball and softball teams that school year. During her junior year, she played on Hamburg’s first ever-ECIC Girls’ Basketball championship team. In the spring of 1973, JoAnne was co-captain of the 1st year of Softball played at the interschool level. She was also the President of the Girl’s Athletic Association, which was the female equivalent to the Varsity “H” club. Joanne went on to a successful athletic career at Cortland State, where she was the starting pitcher on the Cortland State Softball team that won the state championship in 1977. After receiving her bachelor’s, Joanne continued her education at Cortland, obtaining a Masters in Education, and then taught physical education for the East Aurora School District for 33 years.