Nyack High School Class of 1969

For more than 40 years Bob Corvino was a powerful force on the football field. First he was a three-year, All-County, two- way performer at Nyack High School, then a three-year varsity letter winner for the University of Bridgeport, and finally as the football coach with the most wins in Port Jervis High School history.

In the late 1960s Nyack High School was the dominant force in Rockland County football and Bob was one of the main reasons for their success. In 1968 Bob captained the undefeated cham- pionship Nyack High School football team, which was named as the Rockland County High School Football Team of the Decade by The Record of Bergen County, NJ. Individually Bob was selected as an All-County linebacker in 1966, a unanimous choice All-County linebacker and center in 1967, and again a unanimous selection at linebacker and center in 1968. Bob was the first player to be voted unanimous All-Rockland County on both offense and defense. To add to Bob’s accolades, he was also chosen a Daily News High School All-Star 1968, and that same year Bob was voted Honorable Mention Prep All American, The Journal News Outstanding Lineman of the Year, and Rock- land’s first football player to be named 1st Team All-State. The year 1968 was the first year the New York State sports writers picked an All-State team; it encompassed every school in the state and had only 44 football players named to that honor. The impact that Bob had on the Rockland County football scene is evidenced by the fact that he was selected as the No. 3 vote-getter as the “Football Player of the Decade” by The Record. The two players finishing in front of him were a quar- terback and a running back, while Bob played “down in the trenches” on the line. Bob was also named Rockland County’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1969.

After graduation from Nyack High School, Bob enrolled at Arnold College in Connecticut, a small physical education school that was absorbed by the University of Bridgeport, a Division II college football team. Bob lettered on the varsity football team for two years. During that time the University of Bridgeport’s record was 21-1. In 1971 the team’s record was 10-1 with a 17-12 win over Hampton-Sydney College in the Rockne Bowl. The Rockne Bowl was played indoors at the Atlantic City Convention Center and the victor, Bridgeport, was named as the Eastern Small College Champion. In 1972 the University of Bridgeport’s football team went undefeated with an 11-0 record. Bridgeport beat Slippery Rock State University of Pennsylvania in the Rockne Bowl and was again named the Eastern Small College Champion. That year Bob received the Scholar-Athlete award from the Fairfield County Chapter of the College Hall of Fame. On the academic front, Bob was named as the Arnold College Outstanding Physical Education Student at his graduation.

Bob graduated from the University of Bridgeport in 1973 and was hired as a physical education teacher and assistant football coach in Port Jervis, in upstate Orange County. After spending 11 years as an assistant football coach, Bob was named the head football coach at Port Jervis High School, a position that he held until 2007. During that time Bob’s record was 161-70-1, which ranks him as the winningest football coach in Port Jervis’ history, and the fourth-most successful football coach in Sec- tion 9 history. He was twice voted as the Times Herald-Record Football Coach of the Year in Section 9. Bob was named the Cable 6 (local Orange County television channel) Football Coach of the Year and The New York Jets High School Coach of the Week when he won his 150th game. Bob won 12 league titles, 1 state regional title in 1997 and, between 1989 and 2007, Bob’s teams won five Section 9 football titles. When the Orange County League (OCL) was in existence, Port Jervis was either the conference or league champion from 1986 through 1989. Bob finished his career at Port Jervis serving as the athletic director for the school district and was named as the New York State Public High School Athletic Director of the Year for Section 9. It is interesting to note that while Bob played for Nyack High School, Nyack’s only loss was to Port Jervis and as a coach at Port Jervis, Bob’s only loss to a Rockland County team was to Nyack

Bob is retired now; he and his wife, Betty, live in Huguenot, N.Y. They have two children: Karen, 36, an assistant principal in New York City, and Bobby, 33, who works for Dick’s Sport- ing Goods. Karen and her husband, Paulo, have a 2-year-old son, Alex.
When he was notified of his selection into the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame, Bob commented, “It’s great to be recognized at this point in my life. At this age, that doesn’t happen too often. It’s something my family and I are definitely excited about.” In retirement Bob is still active in Orange County athletics, serving on the Section 9 Football Committee when he is not playing golf or babysitting grandson Alex.