Rich Corsetto (1997) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Rich Corsetto

Induction:
1997

   Rich Corsetto grew up in New Jersey and never would have probably thought that his athletic skills would have brought him to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. But after a brilliant high school career at St. Bonaventure in Patterson, New Jersey, he made his way to Hartford Junior College in Bel Air, Maryland, where as a freshman he led the nation’s junior colleges in scoring averaging just over 38-points per game. That gained the attention of senior college recruiters from all over the country, but it was a call from Lee Floyd at Southern Mississippi that caught Corsetto’s attention.
   As a sophomore in 1968-69 he quickly moved into the starting lineup and finished the year as the second leading scorer behind USM Hall of Famer and future pro Wendell Ladner. He averaged 17.5 points and game, shot a career high 48.8-percentage from the field. The team finished the year 15-10 and 11 times that year scored over 90 points in a game. That team shot 50-percent from the field and averaged 86.4 points per game.
   As a junior in 1969-70 he was the team’s third leading scorer averaging 14.0 per game, the team finished 15-11 and six times that year the team scored over 100 points in a game. That club averaged 86.3 points per game.
   His senior year he was one of the team’s tri-captains and although the team had a disappointing year, Rich led the team in scoring with an 18.9 average.
   His career scoring average of 16.8 is still the sixth best in Southern Miss history. He is one of just 28 players to have ever scored 1,000 points in their career and remember Rich scored his 1,295 points to rank No. 16 in just three seasons.
   As a pitcher for Coach Taylor for three seasons Rich also had a great deal of success. In 1970 he started seven of the team’s 23 games that year pitching 55.2 innings and recording an ERA of 0.97, still a school record. Only Ray Guy pitched more innings that year and struck out more batters, but his record was 6-1, with shutouts against New Orleans and Mississippi College.
   In 1971 he started nine of the team’s 27 games pitching 62.2 innings and posting an ERA of 3.00 and finishing with a record of 5-3, that included three shutouts against LSU, Tulane and Alabama. Only two other players have ever thrown three shutouts in a season.
   In all, his last two seasons saw him pitch 118.1 innings, allowing just 27 earned runs, striking out 97, with five shutouts and an 11-4 record. Only one other player has ever thrown as many shutouts in their careers. His career ERA in 1970-71 is the second best in school history.
   As one of the most versatile athletes in Southern Miss history, Corsetto was a throw back to an earlier time when athletes excelled in more than one sport. As a basketball player his abilities place him among the school’s all-time great, while as a pitcher he will always be remembered as a battler, one who even when he didn’t have his best stuff, found a way to win.