North Central College Athletics

Al Corrigan '65-Swimming

Career Highlights: Five-time NAIA national champion; five-time All-American; national champ in 200 individual medley in 1962 and 1963, as part of 400 medley relay in 1962 and 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle in 1963; member of 1962 and 1963 NAIA national championship teams.

At the 1962 National Association of Intercollegiate (NAIA) national swimming meet, Al Corrigan’s name was called several times as national champion of the 200-yard freestyle. The name was repeated because the medal stand was empty. The reason? Corrigan was still in the water en route to his second individual national title and record-setting time in the 200-yard individual medley. Corrigan also won a third title that day as part of the 400-yard medley relay as the Cardinals claimed their second national championship. Not a bad day for a freshman competitor.

“The fact you could swim as a freshman at North Central was a big advantage,” Corrigan said of one of the reasons he came to the College. “I was being recruited by some Big Ten schools, but you couldn’t swim as freshmen in that conference (or the NCAA).”

The team was led by some impressive swimmers that year, including fellow Hall of Fame members Dick Blick ’62 and Ruben Roca ’62. The Cardinals, led by first-year head coach and former swimmer John Molitor ’60, posted a 9-2 dual meet record with the only losses coming to Southern Illinois University and national champion Indiana University. The team won its 13th consecutive College Conference of Illinois (CCI) title, took its second consecutive championship of the Loyola Relays and claimed top honors at the Open AAU meet in Oak Park.

As a sophomore in 1963, Corrigan helped the Cardinals to their third national championship in a row. The Rockford West High School graduate repeated as national champion in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley and also added a third individual championship in the 500-yard freestyle. Only 29 other swimmers in NAIA history have won three individual titles in one meet. Included among those was Blick. Corrigan also claimed CCI titles in the 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 500 freestyle and as part of the 400 freestyle relay that season.

Corrigan ended up completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin. He joined the Army Reserves while still in school, and later became a member of the 101st Airborne. After receiving an honorable discharge (medical), Corrigan went into the retail banking business. In 1970, he went into manufacturing is now the global senior partner for Wahl Clipper in Sterling, Ill.