Buzzards Bay, Mass. --  Bob Corradi, the only Head Baseball Coach that Massachusetts Maritime has ever known and the longest tenured Director of Athletics in the Academy’s history, will officially retire from both positions at the end of the coming 2014-15 academic year.

Corradi arrived on Taylor’s Point when Massachusetts Maritime elevated intercollegiate athletics to NCAA Division III status back in 1973, and the success he has enjoyed on the baseball diamond, coupled with his oversight of an overall athletics program that has doubled in size since he took over as director in 1989, has made him one of the true icons in the Academy’s illustrious 123-year history.

“It’s time,” Corradi said of his decision.  “This is a very special place, and I’ve enjoyed every minute that I’ve been here.  This isn’t about me—it’s about my family and making sure that our cadets enjoy the best possible experience as they grow, learn and prepare for their future.

“We have great leadership at the Academy, from Admiral (Rick) Gurnon, Captain (Ed) Rozak and everyone on down,” Corradi continued.  “I know I’ve got the juice left to do the job for many years to come, but it’s time.  It’s time for me to spend more time with my family and especially my grandchildren.  I’m going to put everything into the coming year and enjoy it all.”

The Bourne native and Sandwich resident completed his 42^nd baseball season this spring and will bring 562 career victories into his final campaign in 2015, as he ranks as one the nation’s active winningest coaches with that mark.  Corradi has served in coaching roles for both the Buccaneer baseball and football programs for a combined 80 years, helping Massachusetts Maritime amass over 800 wins while mentoring over 1,400 student-athletes over four decades.

“Bob’s vision has created opportunities for our cadets and our campus that were never possible previously,” Gurnon said of Corradi.  “Each of our student-athletes and cadets has certainly witnessed his genuine passion for sports, and more importantly, they have seen the passion he has for them as people.  His time at the helm of Massachusetts Maritime Athletics has been filled with a devotion to the student-athletes as well as the buildings, waters and fields that they played and practiced upon.  He will be truly missed by all.”

Corradi has earned the nod as Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year on three occasions, the last coming in 2008.  He guided the Buccaneers to both the MASCAC and ECAC titles during a 1982 season that saw Massachusetts Maritime win a school record 28 games, and in the fall Corradi served as Assistant Football Coach for 38 seasons under Head Coaches Don Ruggeri, Joe Domingos and Jeremy Cameron, as he helped lead the Buccaneers to a pair of New England Football Conference championships in 1977 and again in 1983.

Corradi served in a number of different administrative capacities at Massachusetts Maritime prior to assuming his current role of Director of Athletics in September 1989.  He has overseen the growth and development of a program that has nearly doubled from eight sports when he assumed his duties to its current 15 varsity sport offering, and he also oversaw the construction of a new turf athletic stadium (Clean Harbors Stadium) while helping to implement new construction and upgrades to existing athletics facilities both on and off campus, including the Clean Harbors Athletic Center, Commodore Hendy Field (baseball), Alison Rollins Field (softball) and the Keith Hartford Sailing Center on Herring Pond.  During Corradi’s tenure as Athletics Director, the amount of student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics at the Academy has tripled, and nearly 45 percent of all student-athletes participating in at least one sport have achieved a minimum 3.00 GPA over the past five years, another example of his commitment to the mission of Massachusetts Maritime and NCAA Division III.

In addition to the many honors he has received from Massachusetts Maritime, including Academy Employee of the Year in 2007, Corradi has been recognized with other numerous accolades, including the two highest awards bestowed by the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association:  the Jack Butterfield Award for integrity and dedication to the game of college baseball in 2010 and the Andy Baylock Award for significant contributions to the betterment of New England college baseball in 2012.  In November 2012, he received the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Fred Ebbett Lifetime Achievement Award for his many contributions to the league and to its Hall of Fame, and last July, he was feted during the American Legion District 10 All-Star Game in Hyannis for his years of coaching and dedication to American Legion baseball, specifically the Clark-Haddad Post 188 team in Sandwich.  Last September, Bob was honored as the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Male Administrator of the Year.

“So many of our graduates, current students, friends, family and community only know the Academy through their relationship with Bob,” Rozak, who served as Massachusetts Maritime’s Vice President of Student Affairs and Commandant of Cadets, said of Corradi.  “There is no one more passionate about the mission of our school and no one who instills pride in its endeavors than him.  Countless cadets owe Bob a great debt of thanks for helping them achieve their goals.”

Bob and his wife, Kathy, are the parents of two grown children, Alison and Steven, and they have four grandchildren.  His official retirement date is June 12, 2015.