One of Clarkson's best athletes, Corby Adams '64 passed away over the weekend. Adams was a member of the Clarkson Men's Hockey program from 1961 to 1964 and the Clarkson Baseball team in 1963 & '64.
"The Clarkson Hockey program was saddened to hear of the passing of Corby Adams. Corby was a big part of the early success of Clarkson Hockey, his 159 points in 78 games is one of the most impressive stat lines in the 102 years of the program." said Clarkson Men's Head Coach,
Casey Jones. "As good as his stats line was, he will be remembered by many as one of the finer gentlemen to come through the program, people in the town of Potsdam talked about him for many years after he graduated. We were proud he represented the Hockey Program as one of the inaugural members of the Clarkson Athletics Hall of Fame."
During Corby's run at Clarkson, the Golden Knights enjoyed some of their most successful seasons and one of the most prolific lines in eastern college hockey. Teamed with high-scoring wingers Roger Purdie '64 and Brian Wilkinson '64, Corby Adams centered Clarkson's "All-American Line."
A 1964 All-American, Adams became one of the Golden Knights' all-time leading scorers with 159 points on 76 goals and 83 assists in 78 games from 1961-64. He earned numerous accolades and helped propel the Green and Gold to great success. Besides his All-America acclaim, Adams also garnered first-team ECAC All-Star honors three times and Tri-League all-star esteem twice. During Adams' reign, head coach Len Ceglarski's team posted a three-year record of 59-14-4, three consecutive appearances in the ECAC Championship Tournament, and back-to-back showings in the NCAA Championship Tournament, including a second-place finish in 1962.
Although his talents on the ice in hockey during the winter months were his dominant passion, Adams also excelled in another sport once the ice melted in the spring. In his junior and senior years, Adams played baseball under Hank Hodge and made a remarkable impression with the legendary coach. "Corby is one of those natural athletes who can do anything well," the late Hodge once remarked. "Not only is he a natural hitter, but he makes some plays in the outfield that would be difficult for an experienced professional."
After graduation, Adams returned to Barrie and began playing for the Barrie Flyers, in 1966. Adams played for the Flyers for 10 seasons, becoming the team's all-time leader in games (370), goals (213), assists (353) and points (566). In addition to his induction into the Clarkson Athletics Hall of Fame, Corby was inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and he was also enshrined in the Springwater Sports Heritage Hall of Fame.
