BAY SHORE, N.Y. – The late Corey Swinson, who played on three championship football squads at Hampton University, has been honored by the state of New York, as a portion of roadway in Suffolk County has been named the "Corey J. Swinson Memorial Bridge."
 
"Corey Swinson was a true New Yorker who had an extraordinary impact on the people he met and the greater Bay Shore area as a whole," Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "I am proud to sign this legislation and honor his work, as well as the lifelong devotion to the community he called home."
 
Swinson was a First Team All-CIAA selection for the Pirates at defensive tackle, and in 1995 he was selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He ultimately spent that season playing for the St. Louis Rams.

"He was one of HU's finest," former head coach Donovan Rose said of Swinson upon his 2013 passing.
 
Swinson was on the 1992, 1993, and 1994 CIAA championship squads.

A lifelong resident of Bay Shore, N.Y., Swinson returned home after his short NFL career and served as the district's security director from 2002-12. He was also a youth football coach in the community, coaching in the Bay Shore Little Conference Football League.

After his job as security director, Swinson had served as director of school safety and security for Copiague Public Schools. He had a 14-year-old son, Messiah.

At Bay Shore High School, Swinson was a basketball standout who briefly played football. He came to Hampton in 1992, and he majored in social work while with the Pirates. According to his biography in the 1994 Pirates media guide, Swinson's goals were to "work as closely as possible with black youth."
 
The stretch of road honoring Swinson crosses Sunrise Highway in his native Bay Shore. Signs from the New York Department of Transportation will reflect this declaration.
 
"Corey J. Swinson's legacy is larger than life," state senator Phil Boyle, who sponsored the bill, said. "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. 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."