Corey Swinson, a Bay Shore-native who briefly played in the NFL, will have a bridge named in his honor one year after his death.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the designation on Friday, calling Swinson a “true New Yorker who had an extraordinary impact on the people he met.”
The bridge, which crosses Sunrise Highway in Bay Shore, will be renamed the “Corey J. Swinson Memorial Bridge.”
Sen. Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore), who sponsored the bill in the Senate, called Swinson’s legacy “larger than life.”
“Corey dedicated himself to his family and the many friends who he met over the course of more than 42 years in the Bay Shore/Brightwaters community,” Boyle said. “It is my hope that every time someone drives past the ‘Corey J. Swinson Memorial Bridge’ they will remember Corey’s generous spirit and his legacy that lives on in Bay Shore.”
Assemblyman Phil Ramos (D-Islip) said Swinson dedicated his life to serving the community and “in the process he touched the lives of countless individuals, young and old.”
Swinson was drafted in 2005 by the Miami Dolphins out of Hampton University in Virginia, where he studied social work.
Swinson, a 334-pound defensive tackle, played that season with the St. Louis Rams. That ended up being his only season in the NFL.
He became a volunteer and youth football league coach after returning to Bay Shore. Swinson also worked as security director for the Bay Shore district before being named director of school safety and security for Copiague public schools.
He died of natural causes in September 2013.
