Inducted into the Boston College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005
Joe was born and raised in Chicago where he played hockey at Saint Rita High School and was inducted as a charter member of their Hall of Fame in 2013.
In 1975, Joe earned a spot on the US Junior National Team and was named to the US Junior All-American Team. That year, he was drafted twice – first by the Atlanta Flames in the NHL Draft, and then by the Cleveland Crusaders in the WHA Draft. He opted for Boston College, helping the Eagles to a Beanpot Championship in 1976, and an ECAC Championship and second place finish in the 1978 NCAA Finals held here in Providence, RI.
In his three seasons with the Eagles, Joe scored 27 goals and 77 assists for 104 points. He is one of only six defensemen in BC history to reach 100 career point plateau. In 2005, he became the 58th hockey player to be inducted into the Boston College Hall of Fame.
In 1979, after his junior year, Joe signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers. He played six seasons with the Rangers, Calgary Flames, and New Jersey Devils organizations while earning his college degree in public administration during the off-season.
Joe began his coaching career in 1983 as an assistant at Tolman High School in Pawtucket. After two seasons, he moved crosstown to become the head coach at Shea High School. Under his tutelage, the Shea Raiders skated to an impressive 19-1 record, winning both division and state titles. Augustine then spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Brown University and then one year as the head coach for the Community College of Rhode Island.
Joe took the helm at URI in 1989. While also working as an advance pro scout for the Cornwall Ace’s (AHL) in 1995, the top farm club for Quebec Nordiques (NHL), Augustine was a member of the NCAA Organizational Committee for the 1995 NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament in Providence, RI. He served as an assistant for Team USA at the 2006 World University Games in Turin, Italy. In 2009, he coached Team USA at the World University Games in Harbin, China.
The 2023-24 season marks Joe’s 34th as head coach at URI. Over his tenure, he has coached over 1000 games for the Rams. His 708 win this season are the most by any URI coach in any sport. Along the way, he has guiding his teams to 32 winning seasons, including the 2006 ACHA National Championship.
Joe received back-to-back ACHA Men’s Division I “Coach of the Year” honors in 2004-05 and 2005-06, and was the ECAC “Coach of the Year” in 2003-04. He was most recently honored with the ESCHL “Coach of the Year” award for the 2014-15 season.
Joe resides in North Scituate, RI with his wife Jewell, a former Ice Capades skater. His son, Jon, and daughter, Jaclyn, both reside in Providence. Joe’s brother, Jim, was inducted into the Illinois Hockey HOF in 2009.
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