Corrigan: A not-so-average 'Joe'
by Heather Johnson, WATN Editor
Despite the new ownership’s emphasis on ‘Americanization’ all the new acquisitions for the 1983 Sounders were from England, oddly enough. The most notable of the new Sounders was goalkeeper Joe Corrigan, who came to Seattle after 16 years with Manchester City. At 6’ 4 ˝”, the (not so) creatively nicknamed “Big Joe” not only looked imposing, he was arguably the finest goalkeeper ever to play in Seattle, displaying a rather feline grace and speed. He may have only played here for one season, but it was a season of poetry in motion, still memorable twenty years later.
His was a career that almost never happened. When he was five, Corrigan developed tuberculosis in his right knee, and was within hours of having his leg amputated before a doctor who thought he could save both the boy and his leg intervened. The doctor proved able, and fourteen years later Corrigan got his first start with Manchester City in 1969, when he was just shy of 20. He played off-and-on for the first few years of his career, but by the late 1970s he had sharpened his skills and had become a dominant force in the game, regarded one of the best ‘keepers in England, in an era filled with several high-quality ‘keepers to compete with. From 1976 through 1980, he didn’t miss a game for Manchester (42 games per season), as well as playing in European- and FA-Cup games and nine games for the National Team. All in all, Corrigan played in 604 games for Manchester before being sold to Seattle in 1983 for 30,000 pounds (approximately $73,000).
Reportedly unhappy at the sale (he later referred to it as ‘the worst moment of my life at Maine Road’) he dealt with the move professionally and became an integral part of the team here. The 1983 Sounder season was filled with drama, as the club was obviously teetering on the edge of folding and barely made payroll several times that year. Seemingly oblivious to the behind-the-scenes mess, Corrigan anchored the young defense admirably, played all 29 games, and ended the season with a respectable (especially considering the circumstances) 1.81 gaa.
The Sounders did, in fact, fold three days after the end of the season, and Corrigan, not surprisingly, returned to England. He played for Brighton until 1986, when, at 37, he suffered a career-ending back injury (Astroturf!). In 1990 Corrigan began his coaching career, spending brief stints as goalkeeper coach with Manchester City, Leeds, Barnsley, Bradford and Celtic before settling in as goalkeeper coach with Liverpool in 1994, where he remains to date.
Joe Corrigan Internet Links:
http://mail.charter.net/Redirect/www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=5254
http://mail.charter.net/Redirect/www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/squad/corrigan/
