Memorial service for late UMKC Hall of Fame hoops coach Darrell Corwin set for Saturday
When mentioning Kansas City Roos basketball and its stomping grounds at Swinney Center, formerly Swinney Gymnasium, it’s hard not to bring up the name Darrell Corwin.
The UMKC Hall of Fame coach cemented his name in the program’s history books years ago and is still the winningest coach in Roos history. He led his 1977 team to the NAIA national tournament — the school’s first postseason tournament appearance in men’s hoops.
But it wasn’t just his accolades or booming voice that carried him into the upper echelon of Roos athletics. It was the tenacious, competitive spirit he displayed in all of his positions at UMKC, ranging from basketball coach to athletic director.
On Saturday, July 1, Corwin — who died March 22 — will be celebrated one more time at Swinney Center with family, past players and friends in attendance for a 2 p.m. memorial service.
“That gym meant the world to him,” said Brooks Corwin, Darrell’s youngest son. “If he knew that we were doing this at Swinney gym, he would be unbelievably proud of doing this.”
With many former players expected to attend — some are in their early 70s now — it’s one more chance to bask in the glory of a gymnasium in which so many memories were made. More importantly, it will enable others to get a glimpse of Corwin’s competitive edge.
Throughout his lifetime, Corwin competed in a plethora of sports: baseball, basketball, golf, overhand softball and racquetball. He was even offered a contract with the Cleveland Guardians (then known as the Indians) during his underclass years at the University of Missouri.
He rejected that offer, opting to stay at Missouri and pursue his degree, but Corwin’s love for sports only intensified. He would go on to coach and become a physical education teacher, his passion for sports eventually trickling down to his children.
His wife, Mary Ann Corwin, described their relationship by sharing one particular memory: She was watching a Missouri basketball game and invited Darrell to join. “The rest,” she said, “is history.”
“Our house was always the gathering spot for the neighborhood,” she said. “Till the end, anyone was welcome to come and play basketball.”
The Corwin family’s basketball hoop at their Lee’s Summit home was a hot commodity. Throughout the summer, children would come to their house to play games or sit on the hill as spectators until Corwin whistled and turned off the front lights — just like a coach.
And it didn’t stop there. The Corwins’ two-story house also featured a smaller indoor rim that was used for Nerf-ball competitions. Brooks said his father’s players would also show up during these fun times, filing the living room to discuss whatever topic came to mind.
After Corwin’s coaching career ended, Brooks said, players still stopped by the house to check in. Even though Brooks moved to Phoenix in 2000, he said he still has fond memories of those neighborhood hangouts — and it’s clear he isn’t the only one.
“The respect and love for his players that he had was unbelievable,” Brooks said. “People to this day can drive through that neighborhood and look at that house and they’ll be like, ‘That’s where we used to go.’”
With Swinney Center being his father’s office — and in a way his second home — Brooks said it only made sense for Saturday’s celebration to be held there. But with Corwin’s involvement in many different sports and communities throughout his lifetime, that gym and his house were only two pieces of the pie.
Corwin was voted by his coaching peers as head coach of the district USA All-Star team in 1980, and he was the Jackson County administrator of special recreation for 18 years.
Mary Ann said Saturday’s celebration affords another opportunity to tell stories about Darrell and how he touched each of these communities.
“He was just full of life,” she said. “There will be a lot of laughter and good times. There will be some tears.”
Mary Ann Corwin, and Brooks and Chad Corwin (another of Darrell’s sons), were unsure how many people to expect at the early afternoon event, as no reservations were required. But the memorial service is his turn to be celebrated.
For Chad, the service is a chance to go back in time to a place where his dad worked his magic.
“He was invincible, and even when he was losing or lost, he still would continue on,” Chad said. “He was my hero, and so that gym is the center of that.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
