Tony Colobro
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 22, 1923 |
| Died | March 3, 2024 (aged 100) Tazewell, Virginia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| c. 1940s | Concord |
| Basketball | |
| c. 1940s | Concord |
| Position(s) | Back (football) Guard (basketball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1958–1963 | Welch HS (WV) |
| 1964–1970 | Bluefield State |
| 1974–1982 | Concord |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1964–1974 | Bluefield State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 101–45–7 (college) |
| Bowls | 4–2 |
| Tournaments | 0–3 (NAIA D-I playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 5 WVIAC (1976–1978, 1980–1981) 6 WVIAC Southern Division (1974–1978, 1980) | |
| Awards | |
| Bluefield State Hall of Fame (2014) Concord Hall of Fame (1995) NAIA Hall of Fame (1985) 4× WVIAC Coach of the Year (1976–1978, 1980) | |
Tony John Colobro (December 22, 1923 – March 3, 2024) was an American college football coach and administrator.
Early life and playing career
Colobro was born on December 22, 1923, and was raised in Welch, West Virginia. He attended Welch High School and as a senior in 1942, he was named team captain of the basketball team.[1] He also earned First-team All-State honors as a guard.[2]
Colobro attended and played college football and basketball for Concord.[3]
Coaching career
In 1958, Colobro was named head football coach for his alma mater, Welch High School, after the resignation of John Suba.[4]
In 1964, Colobro was named head football coach and athletic director for Bluefield State.[5] As athletic director he hired Emory and Henry basketball coach Tony Mandeville to the same position as Bluefield State.[6] Colobro resigned as head football coach in 1971 to focus solely on his athletic director duties.[7] In seven years as head coach, he led the team to an overall record of 31–19–4, including a 7–1 record in 1970.[7]
In 1974, Colobro returned to coaching as the head football coach for his alma mater, Concord.[8] He took over a team that finished the previous season winless at 0–9 with only 23 players on the roster.[9] In nine seasons as head coach, Colobro amassed an overall record of 70–26–3, finishing with five West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) championships.[10]
In 1985, Colobro was elected into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame.[10] He was elected into the Concord and Bluefield State halls of fame in 1995 and 2014 respectively.
Personal life
Colobro died on March 3, 2024, in a retirement home in Tazewell, Virginia.[11]
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NAIA D1/D2# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefield State Big Blues (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1964–1970) | |||||||||
| 1964 | Bluefield State | 5–2 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1965 | Bluefield State | 6–1–1 | 3–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1966 | Bluefield State | 4–1–2 | 2–1–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1967 | Bluefield State | 2–6–1 | 1–6–1 | 7th | |||||
| 1968 | Bluefield State | 3–4 | 3–4 | T–6th | |||||
| 1969 | Bluefield State | 4–4 | 3–3 | 6th | |||||
| 1970 | Bluefield State | 7–1 | 5–1 | 2nd | 12 | ||||
| Bluefield State: | 31–19–4 | 20–17–4 | |||||||
| Concord Mountain Lions (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1974–1982) | |||||||||
| 1974 | Concord | 6–5 | 3–1 | T–1st (Southern) | L Shrine Bowl | ||||
| 1975 | Concord | 6–5 | 4–0 | 1st (Southern) | L Shrine Bowl | ||||
| 1976 | Concord | 8–3 | 4–0 | 1st (Southern) | W Coal Bowl | T–19 | |||
| 1977 | Concord | 9–2–1 | 4–0 | 1st (Southern) | W Coal Bowl | 4 | |||
| 1978 | Concord | 10–2 | 8–1 | 1st (Southern) | W Coal Bowl, L NAIA Division I Quarterfinal | 6 | |||
| 1979 | Concord | 5–3–2 | 4–3–2 | 2nd (Southern) | |||||
| 1980 | Concord | 11–1 | 9–0 | 1st (Southern) | W Coal Bowl, L NAIA Division I Quarterfinal | 3 | |||
| 1981 | Concord | 9–2 | 7–1 | T–1st | L NAIA Division I Quarterfinal | 4 | |||
| 1982 | Concord | 6–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd | 20 | ||||
| Concord: | 70–26–3 | 49–8–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 101–45–7 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- ^ Currence, Stubby (March 22, 1942). "Welch Has Two On First Team". The Raleigh Register. p. 9. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ "Official All-State Team". The Raleigh Register. April 5, 1942. p. 9. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ "Burdette Makes Bid For Concord Eleven". Hinton Daily News. September 23, 1946. p. 4. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ "Ken Hunt Retiring". Beckley Post-Herald. June 27, 1958. p. 17. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ "Look Into Finances". Beckley Post-Herald. October 23, 1965. p. 3. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ "Mandeville Quits At E&H". Bristol Herald Courier. April 4, 1967. p. 8. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "Big Blues Name Cure Grid Coach". The Charleston Daily Mail. April 22, 1971. p. 14. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ "Colobro named coach at Concord". The Greensoboro Record. January 23, 1974. p. 29. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ "Colobro Faces Tough Task At Concord". The Raleigh Register. September 4, 1974. p. 26. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "West Virginia". USA Today. August 24, 1985. p. 10. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ "Forner Concord football coach Tony Colobro, dead at 100". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. March 4, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2025.