Gene Corum
October 21, 2002 09:42 AM | General
Mountaineer Illustrated
Gene Corum devoted nearly a lifetime of distinguished service to WVU from 1941 to 1985.
The Huntington native excelled as a football player, assistant coach, head coach and School of Physical Education professor before retiring. He also filled short stints as acting P.E. dean and interim athletic director.
Corum and his wife, Lucille, still reside in Morgantown.
"I have a lot of fond memories," he said recently. "I really enjoyed playing, coaching and teaching. We had a lot of nice kids.
"There were disappointments and thrills. Naturally, it was more fun when we won."
Corum was an outstanding guard who played offense and defense in 1941-42. After serving in the military during World War II, he returned to complete his education and football eligibility in 1946-47.
As a player, he had a hand in three all-time great victories - 24-0 over Penn State and 13-0 over South Carolina in 1942, and 17-2 at Pitt in the 1947 finale.
"It was the only game Penn State lost in '42," Corum recalled. "We really dominated them.
"The win was WVU's first since 1928, ending our 15-game losing streak in that rivalry. And Coach Bill Kern told us before the game that he was resigning."
Corum could have scored his only touchdown against the Panthers that day. But snow covered the field and he downed a blocked punt on the two-yard line.
"I thought it was in the end zone," he explained. "I could’ve picked up the ball and run with it if I'd known."
After receiving his bachelor's degree in 1948, Corum completed requirements for a master's degree and coached two years at nearby Point Marion (Pa.) High. He returned to WVU as freshman coach in 1950 when Art "Pappy" Lewis took over the football program.
Corum moved up to the varsity staff in 1951 and coached the ends. He became the top assistant as Lewis' 10 teams combined for a 58-38-2 record, including a Sugar Bowl appearance against Georgia Tech in 1954.
When Lewis resigned in February of 1960, Corum was elevated to the head position. He posted a six-year, 29-30-2 record before retiring after the 1965 season.
His best seasons were 8-2 in 1962 and 7-3 in 1964. The latter earned WVU a Liberty Bowl berth when that event was played indoors at Atlantic City, N.J.
Corum guided teams to several significant victories. Those included 7-3 at Army and 20-6 in 1961, 17-6 at Syracuse in 1962, 28-27 over Syracuse here in 1964, and 63-48 over Pitt here in 1965.
In the upset of Army, Corum reminded the referee that the Cadets could be penalized for excessive noise when the Mountaineers had the ball. He agreed, issued a warning and WVU marched in for the game's only TD.
"Prior to our '61 game at Pitt, the student newspaper there had a story saying West Virginia was rebuilding with garbage," Corum said. "We put it on the locker room bulletin board and our kids really responded.
"Both of those wins over Syracuse were great. We came from behind in the one here when Allen McCune threw Bob Dunlevy a perfect pass for the winning touchdown."
Corum admitted that the '65 Pitt shootout was a shocker. "Almost everything we tried worked. We had a lot of big plays and so did Pitt."
Those 111 points were the most by two teams in NCAA Division I-A up to that time.
Corum is a member of the WVU Sports Hall of Fame. He also is on the all-time team from 1940-49.
The Corums have two grown daughters, Wilma Jean and Mary Kay; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
