An All-American end at Holy Cross, Joy was hired as Boston College's head coach months after graduating college. In his seacond season as head coach, he led BC to their first winning season of the 20th century. On December 14, 1914, Joy was named faculty coach at Hyde Park High School in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Joy returned to Boston College in 1921 as an assistant to Frank Cavanaugh. When Cavanaugh left BC in 1927, Joy followed him to Fordham where he remained as an assistant until 1932. From 1933 to 1938, Joy was the head coach at Canisius College.