Richard Lee Corrigan

Longtime Swarthmore resident Richard “Dick” Lee Corrigan died on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, at the Snow Hill Nursing Home. He was 86.

Born in Baltimore, Mr. Corrigan was the son of the late Henry and Cleta Franey Corrigan. 

An accomplished lacrosse player and coach, Mr. Corrigan received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. He was a first-team All-American and received the prestigious “Turnbull Award” given yearly to the top college lacrosse attackman. He became assistant coach to the famous lacrosse coach Willis Bilderback at the United States Naval Academy during a period of the program’s unprecedented success. He later moved to Yale University as the head coach where his teams earned Ivy League titles.

After coaching, Mr. Corrigan became an athletic administrator at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of the Big Five, an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia. He then moved to the business world where he flourished as a developer of lightweight foam products that are still featured in athletic shoes and equipment. In the twilight of his career, he migrated back to the University of Maryland where he reconnected with old friends and teammates in his role as a fundraiser for the athletic department. Above all, he will be remembered for his devotion to family and friends, and his humor, generosity, and humility.

Mr. Corrigan is survived by his wife, Sarah “Sally” M. Corrigan; children Richard Lee Corrigan, Jr. and his wife, Libby, of Ellicott City, Douglas Corrigan and his wife, Catherine, of West Chester, Gene Engler and his wife, Gabi, of Dusseldorf, Germany, and Kimberly Corrigan and her husband, Gerry Frenze, of Newark, Delaware; seven grandchildren; and two step-grandchildren. Janet Corrigan, Mr. Corrigan’s first wife and the mother of Kim, Lee, and Doug, passed away in 2001.

A celebration of Mr. Corrigan’s life will be held at St. Mary’s Govans, 5502 York Road, Baltimore, on Saturday, November 30, at noon. The service will be followed by a reception at The Accelerator Space located at 417 Benninghaus Road (two blocks from the church).

Donations in Mr. Corrigan’s memory may be made to Coastal Hospice. Letters of condolence may be sent via the Burbage Funeral Home. Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin, Maryland.