Polk State legend Tyus proud to see Corbeil break his wins record

Polk State honored Bing Tyus, former baseball coach and current athletic director, on Saturday during a ceremony to dedicate Bing Tyus Yard. From left, Polk State Baseball Coach Al Corbeil, Polk State Athletics benefactor Bob Georges, and Bing Tyus.

For some record-holders, watching a record fall by the wayside can be bittersweet, but for former Polk State Head Baseball Coach and Athletics Director Bing Tyus, that’s hardly the case.

With Polk State’s 9-7 win over Seminole State College of Florida on Friday, Al Corbeil, 44, surpassed Tyus as the program’s all-time wins leader. The victory was the 419th in Corbeil’s career with the Eagles.

“I’m very proud,” Tyus said. “He’s been a winning coach since he started. To win the conference six times in your first eight years is remarkable, but there’s more than just baseball. He was a father figure to a lot of those kids and not everyone has that when they arrive. When he came over, he brought some really good coaches with him.”

What makes the situation with Tyus and Corbeil so unique is that Tyus had the opportunity to hire the man who broke his record. The athletics director at the time, Tyus recalled knowing little about Corbeil who was just 32 years old when he took over the program.

“He was just head and shoulders above everyone else when he interviewed,” Tyus reflected. “He really wowed the hiring committee. To be that young, he was just so impressive.”

Now in his 13th season, Corbeil has led Polk State to eight FCSAA Tournament appearances, one JUCO World Series appearance, and the 2012 FCSAA title. The Eagles’ 2012 title served as just the second in program history and first since 1992 when the program accomplished the feat under Tyus.

“What I noticed early in his career when he was around his players was he always followed through with what he said he was going to do,” Tyus recalled. “He always did what he said he was going to do and that’s really impressive with someone as young as he was.”

Tyus spent 15 years as head coach for Polk State Baseball before spending the next 21 as athletics director. Because coaches only have players for two years as opposed to four, are tasked with getting them to four-year schools, and operate on smaller budgets, Tyus said it’s one of the toughest levels to coach.

“I’d say it’s twice as hard,” he said. “The turnover is incredible. It’s one of the reasons there’s a new state champion almost every year.”

In addition to winning more than 65% of his games, Corbeil has been named Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year six times. During his tenure, more than 20 players have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft and more than 120 have gone on to sign with four-year schools. The Corbeil era includes more than 90 All-Conference selections, four Player of the Year awards, three Pitcher of the Year awards, four Fireman of the Year honors, six Defensive Player of the Year awards, and three Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.