Former Monessen coach Corley, 73, dies of coronavirus

Beloved. Icon. Legend. Respected. Genuine. Real. Humble.
Those were some of the words used to describe Major “Tuffy” Corley after word broke Monday that that the legendary Monessen girls basketball coach had died at the age of 73, reportedly from COVID-19.
Corley’s passing hit hard for those who knew him.
One of the players who Corley coached was Gina Naccarato, who is now the athletic director at Monessen and the assistant principal at Monessen Elementary Center. She led the 1995 Monessen girls team to Corley’s first WPIAL championship.
“Tuffy was probably the most professional person I have ever been around in all aspects of his life,” she said. “He taught me how to win with class and lose with class. Tuffy was well-respected by the people of Monessen and by all of the coaches in the WPIAL.
“Any time I went to an athletic event, opposing players, coaches, ADs, officials and others would want to know how Tuffy was doing. To be respected by your peers in that way is the greatest compliment that any person could receive.”
Naccarato, who earned a scholarship to Duquesne, scored a WPIAL record 3,364 points at Monessen.
“The most important thing Tuffy taught me was how to be a professional. That has carried over with me in my teaching, coaching, administrative and athletic director positions,” Naccarato said.
Charel Allen was a two-time Associated Press PIAA Class A Player of the Year at Monessen and led the Greyhounds to the 2004 WPIAL and PIAA championships. She finished with 3,110 career points and signed with Notre Dame. She played in the WNBA and overseas for almost a decade.
Like Corley, Allen has always been a person of few words. However, she opened up about the relationship they shared.
“Tuff was like family and more than a coach,” Allen said. “He was neighbors with my grandmother, and we would see each other all the time. When I was told for the first time that he was the girls coach, I was surprised and said I knew him as my grandmother’s neighbor.
“He and I had a very unique relationship. He challenged me in ways that most coaches wouldn’t because of the respect I had for him.”
Even after Allen graduated, the two kept in touch.
“After high school, he made sure I was doing well and would joke about me coaching at Monessen,” Allen said. “But that last year I played for him, us accomplishing something that he had not been able to do and win the state title, was emotional. I am happy and honored to be a part of that forever and it is a great memory I will always have.”
Allen is currently an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton.
“You don’t realize how impactful a coach can be towards a player in terms of what he or she could teach,” Allen said. “He taught us life lessons and discipline. … He was an enforcer and showed he cared.”
Corley finished with a career record of 460-189 and added a third WPIAL title, in 2006, to go with the 1995 and 2004 championships and the 2004 PIAA crown.
He was to be inducted last month into the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame, joining Allen and Naccarato, but the banquet was pushed back to next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I will miss seeing him at the Monessen games,” Naccarato said. “The stands will definitely not be the same without Tuffy in them.”