Under his stewardship, and assisted by Dai Prosser, in 1960/61 Leeds won their first-ever championship, beating Warrington 25–10 in the final at Odsal Stadium.
In 1969 Joe stepped up to coach Leeds again on an interim basis following Roy Francis' departure, and once again brought success, the club winning the championship for a second time.
In the seventies Joe served the club in a number of capacities, including scouting, organising players' testimonials and representing the club on various RL committees, before being made General Manager of the Company in 1980.
His period of tenure saw a number of significant ground improvements at Headingley – including, on the Test cricket ground, the UK's first electronic cricket scoreboard.
Joe Warham was the coach in Leeds' 25–10 victory over Warrington in the Championship Final during the 1960–61 season at Odsal Stadium, Bradford on Saturday 20 May 1961, in front of a crowd of 52,177.