When West Virginia University alum Tony Corley looked under the Christmas tree in December 2025, he saw a Mountaineer-themed gift basket filled with materials from the WVU School of Medicine Athletic Training program.
Among those materials was a binder that caught Corley by surprise. Contained within was all the documentation for a new scholarship created in his honor, the Tony Corley Athletic Training Scholarship, which will be endowed thanks to a gift from his family.
“I was completely surprised and humbled,” Corley said. “It’s very humbling to know that your name will live on for as long as there’s an athletic training program. Every single day that I work, and what I do now, is because of being an athletic trainer.”
The scholarship — established through C&L Ventures, a business founded by Tony’s wife, Devanna Corley, and her son-in-law, Ryan Leep — will provide financial aid to West Virginia residents pursuing a degree in athletic training.
“As first-generation college students, we realized the financial burdens placed on students and their ability to pay for college,” Devanna said. “So, giving an opportunity to a West Virginia student is very important to us.”
Making memories to last a lifetime
After growing up in Grant Town in Marion County, Tony Corley began his college education at Fairmont State University before transferring to WVU to join the athletic training program.
As a student, Corley worked with the wrestling, baseball, gymnastics and football teams, honing his skills under the tutelage of mentors like Denise Massey, Randy Meador, Dave Kerns, John Spiker and Vince Stilger.
“I had great rotations, got to see some incredible athletes and learn from my professors, who I still attribute everything to,” he said. “Everything I’ve been able to do today has been because of my professors and mentors at WVU.”
Following his undergraduate studies, Corley earned his master’s degree in kinesiology from Indiana University. Corley then moved home to the Mountain State and served as the lead athletic trainer for Charleston Area Medical Center Sports Medicine Center.
From there, Corley returned to his alma mater and began working at WVU as an instructor and member of the football athletic training staff, from 2001 through the 2013 season. Corley taught in the athletic training program for all 13 years, teaching upper and lower extremities orthopedic assessment, rehabilitation and modalities. While at WVU, he served as president for the West Virginia Athletic Trainers Association.
During his time as an athletic trainer with the football team, Tony served a key role on a team that won five bowl games, including wins over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, and Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
“As one of our football athletic trainers, Tony did a great job for our program and his dedication and work ethic benefited our players greatly,” WVU football coach Rich Rodriguez said. “It’s great to see Tony honored, knowing that his scholarship will benefit the next generation of students who have a passion for athletic training.”
During this time, as Tony and Devanna were raising their children, Brandon and Kayla, they were entrenched in the football program, serving athletes and making memories that would last a lifetime.
“My kids got to meet the players. They were young, so they idolized them,” Tony said. “To this day, Brandon and Kayla still have relationships with former players, which I think is a testament to the type of athletes that are at WVU.
“Looking back, it was a lot of hours. You have to be highly dedicated to be an athletic trainer and have a passion for health care of the student athletes.”
Tony Corley and his family, including wife Devanna and children Brandon and Kayla, spent years building relationships with WVU athletes through his work with the football program.
Giving back and leaving a legacy
Now, more than a decade later, Corley works as a medical sales representative for Arthrex-Pittsburgh, where he applies his athletic training expertise every day.
While he no longer works at WVU, the Mountaineers remain close to the hearts of the Corley family, which previously had a brick laid at the Erickson Alumni Center that reads: “To the Best Athletic Trainer and Dad, Tony.”
With C&L Ventures thriving, Devanna and the rest of her family were inspired to find ways to give back to the University that gave them so much and honor Tony in the process.
This past summer, the School of Medicine hosted a celebration to mark 50 years of the athletic training program at WVU, which John Spiker started and Tony Corley thrived in.
“At the 50-year celebration, there was just so much nostalgia around the room,” Devanna said. “When the kids attended the event with us this summer, it just seemed fitting that we did something bigger. We are at a different stage of our lives now. The kids are grown and out of the house and we’re into our grandparent phase.
“Philanthropy and paying it forward are something we’ve always wanted to do. It was important for us to establish something. In typical athletic training fashion, we wanted to do something that benefited others.”
For students in the WVU School of Medicine Athletic Training program, scholarship can be critical in their ability to pursue an education and thrive once on campus.
“The Tony Corley Athletic Training Scholarship helps make education more accessible for West Virginia students, easing the financial barriers many face,” Alma Mattocks, chair and program director, said. “Through their generosity, Tony and Devanna are giving back to the program that shaped Tony’s journey while creating meaningful opportunities for students preparing to serve and lead the profession.
“We are deeply grateful for their continued support and commitment to the future of athletic training.”
When Tony Corley opened the gift on Christmas Day 2025 with the documentation for the new scholarship, he was humbled and honored — not just to see his name on a scholarship that will impact students for years to come, but also to stand alongside the greats who shaped the program and molded his career.
“It brought tears to my eyes that my name will forever live on,” Corley said. “When I was an undergrad student, I received the Albert ‘Whitey’ Gwynn Scholarship. He was a longtime athletic trainer, and his name still lives on.”
The gift to establish the Tony Corley Athletic Training Scholarship was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.