From Student to Star, Corso Is True to FSU by Jeffery Seay Ed His Family
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From student to star, Corso is true to FSU By Jeffery Seay ed his family. Their first son, Steve, only Seminole to be named an All- Editor in Chief was born in Tallahassee. American in 1956. By the time “I go back a long way with Corso was inducted into the Lee Corso’s pride in FSU is Florida State, and I’ve got a great Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame evident in the enthusiastic way love for the school,” Corso said. in 1978, he was deep into his career he praises his alma mater. He “My third son, Dan, attended FSU. as a football coach. admits his history with Florida My only daughter, Diane Elizabeth, His 28 years in coaching State shaped and enriched his attended FSU. My nieces go there. include 15 years at the collegiate Llife, beyond the diplomas that My best friend’s children go there. I level as the head football coach at bear his name. FSU is where his played baseball there. I played foot- Louisville (1969-72), Indiana (1973- star began to rise. ball there. I was practically raised 82) and Northern Illinois (1984). Of Lee Corso Along the way to earning his as a kid there.” those years, Corso takes the most Bachelor of Science degree in 1957 Corso lettered every year from pride in never having had an in physical education and his 1953 to 1956 in both baseball and NCAA investigator call upon a sin- Master of Science degree in 1958 in football. Under head football gle one of his players for any sort of administration and supervision, Coach Tom Nugent, he was FSU’s infraction or rules violation. Corso met his wife, Betsy, and start- rushing leader in 1955 and was the (Continued on page 2) September 2005 N P S E / n e d r A h c i R Martinez: the senator from Florida State By Barbara Ash Martinez became the first Cuban- has remained intimately involved FSU College of Law American to be elected to the in life at the College of Law. He Senate. Four years earlier, he served as Alumni Association pres- Little did Mel Martinez realize became the first Cuban-American ident in 1981-82, hosted alumni at when he stepped off the plane that to serve in a presidential Cabinet, a his home and, while he was secre- carried him from Castro’s Cuba to post he held for three years before tary of HUD, made a student Miami 42 years ago that he was returning to Florida in December recruitment video that was posted stepping into his own version of 2003 to seek the Republican nomi- on the law school’s Web site. Lthe American dream. nation for the Senate. Martinez said his election to In the four decades since his Martinez, 58, also has made the U.S. Senate — the highest polit- freedom flight, Martinez has made history at FSU as the first College of ical position attainable by a natural- what he calls his “improbable jour- Law graduate (’73) to reach such ized citizen — is proof that “if you ney” from lonely and frightened heights of political power. believe in the American dream of 15-year-old refugee to U.S. senator. When he cast himself in ads freedom and opportunity, and if With his 2004 victory, and speeches as “a living testament you pursue it with hard work, to the American Dream,” it was respect and an abiding faith in God, P 1 T F 6 a l u o 0 then all things are possible.” l more than campaign rhetoric. His b l r 0 a l i i d h R c story became well known across In his victory speech, Martinez a a e B s d S s r the nation. said that as a senator he is “eager to t e o B a e a t a , d e repay his debt to America and r Martinez arrived in Florida in F c b U L a e s n Florida by passionately defending r 1962 and lived in refugee camps 3 t i 2 P v C 3 e l and foster homes in Orlando before and safeguarding the American 1 a e r 0 z n s - a i t t 6 being reunited with his family, who dream for this and future genera- e y 0 r , 6 S 8 came to the United States four tions.” u i t years later. He put himself through As a boy who loved playing e 1 school, earning his undergraduate baseball on the fields of his native 0 4 and law degrees at Florida State. Cuba, Martinez had set his sights Later, he made a name for himself on making it to the major leagues. as a successful trial lawyer, respect- He never dreamed that he would ed civic leader and the first popu- make it to the major leagues of larly elected Republican chairman American politics and, one day, of Orange County before President play catch with the president of the George W. Bush selected him to United States at Camp David. Nor serve as secretary of the U.S. had it ever occurred to him, as a O U P P N C e i . o r n S A r g young immigrant trying desperate- n Department of Housing and Urban c . m a - i P n P n I i o t n r i D z o ly to learn English and to lose his s Development. a # a t f t a 2 t i i t i g , 0 o O e Cuban accent, that one day he 0 Throughout his career and n 3 h i o with all of his successes, Martinez (Continued on page 2) Mel Martinez 2 / September 2005 September 2005 / 3 Corso’s professionalism has earned viewers’ trust and respect Winn working to keep Florida’s schools improving (Continued from page 1) also relies on friends in the every once in a while, By Jeffery Seay Center as he did the Turlington points. Palatka, Fla., during the 1970-71 Corso credits his coaching game. they’ve got to go back to Editor in Chief Building, the Department of “We have more than cut it in school year. That was the first year ethic and clean programs to the “A lot of my friends are Broadway so they can get Education’s headquarters in half,” Winn said. “No other state the faculty had been integrated at example set by Coach Nugent, the still coaching, so I call them that feeling from the crowd. After becoming commission- downtown Tallahassee. By the can boast that. Now, we still want the all-black school, and it was man he considers to be his mentor. and find out what they think That live reaction. Ours is er of the Florida Department of time Hurricane Jeanne had devel- to eliminate the remaining 16 prior to student integration. “He was an outstanding fam- about this guy or that ques- like that every week, so I’m Education in 2004, John Winn oped, Winn said he was asked points. The only right way to close “No matter what people say ily man,” Corso said. “Just a tion,” he said. “But there are very fortunate.” learned some lessons about how to how he could prepare for a fourth the gap is if everybody’s achiev- about school grades, accountabili- tremendous football coach and two things I never do. I From his position as keep the state’s schools running hurricane after just getting schools ing.” ty and choice, I can say, after teach- honest, without question. He never quote an unnamed one of the nation’s most despite being racked by four hurri- opened again for the third time. The achievement level is ris- ing in a low-performing school, taught me never to prostitute my source. That bothers me. respected experts on college canes in one year. The storm “People would ask, ‘How do ing for all groups, according to that until we started grading those s football, Corso finds the clouds cleared, though, and he d you get up for a fourth hurricane Winn, with Hispanic and African- schools, nobody was paying any integrity to get a job or to keep one. And I never second-guess n found the performance of the u American students rising at the I played for him for four years. coaches. I ‘first-guess’ the state of the game “as good as m just after you’ve gotten schools attention to them,” he said. d Sunshine State’s nearly three mil- E open?’ My answer was, ‘If leader- highest levels. Now, with more than 30 years e Then, he helped me get a graduate hell out of them, but I don’t it has ever been.” He cites l e lion students steadily improving. h ship can’t get up for another emer- The cornerstone of this suc- c in education, including service in degree from Florida State as a second-guess them.” increasing emphasis on aca- i M “Absolutely nothing in my / gency, the wrong person is in the cess is the preK-12 “Just Read, the Department of Education as graduate assistant. I coached at Corso likens his demics and the sport’s polic- b a past experience prepared me for L job.’ We don’t get the privilege of Florida!” program, which provides the governor’s policy adviser for o ing of athletes who would “GameDay” preparations to o Florida State for one year with him s t r o o the challenges of the hurricanes,” teacher training and reading h saying ‘I can’t take a fourth one’ education and the chief of staff and coached for seven years at those of his coaching days.