Event Date: May 30th, 1985
Event Description:
Source: UPI
In the wacky world of the USFL -- the Uncertain Shaky Football League -- Lee Corso stands out as a true Renegade.
Orlando's 49-year-old rookie coach enters Sunday's game against Pittsburgh with a 3-11 record and no regrets since taking over a franchise which transferred from Washington, D.C., to this central Florida city.
“I'd do absolutely everything the same,” said Corso, who brought 26 years of college coaching experience to the Renegades. “My approach was right for this particular set of circumstances. I wouldn't have made a single decision any differently.”
While some other USFL coaches scramble to land jobs elsewhere, Corso's resume remains in his file cabinet.
“I don't have any haziness about my future,” he said. “We're gonna be here, I'm gonna be here and the team's gonna be good. I know exactly what I'm gonna be doing next year.”
Corso was a color commentator for ABC during the USFL's inaugural 1983 season and that experience gives him a unique perspective to judge the league's progress.
“I knew this league was good before I came in to coach,” Corso said. “I watched this league in its conception and growth and it has made tremendous improvement. The team I have right now would have qualified for the playoffs in the league's first year, I sincerely believe that.”
Corso, who apparently has never been photographed without a smile on his sharply chiseled face, has maintained his upbeat attitude through all the losses. He says his only disappointment is Orlando's meager record.
“I really thought we could get to the playoffs,” Corso said with a chuckle that tried to mask his seriousness. “The reason you don't see me downcast is I have a strong faith in something bigger than this life and I have the very strong support of my wife and family. Also, remember one thing ... I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing. Sure I hurt and I hurt bad, but people don't want to see that. One thing I never have done is take the game home with me.”
Corso stresses a familial approach with his predominantly young team and admits he's dropped more talented players in favor of lesser athletes.
“You win with character, not characters,” he said. “I crack the whip here, but I do it silently. The guys here believe in each other and this will be a great franchise. Right now, though, we're like the baby that has to learn how to walk. It can get frustrating.”
Corso, who coached collegiately at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois, isn't about to give up the life he loves.
“I love the ability to lead a group of human beings in stressful situations in a way you can lead by your own personal example,” he said. “You're giving them an alternative way of life to the viciousness and back-biting everyday world.”
And the liabilities of coaching? “Losing,” he said.
Story-(UPI Modified)
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