Hartwick Graduate Kory Schramm, All-American Football Player, Killed in Athens
July 17, 2004
From Rochester, NY Democrat & Chronicle
Alan Morrell
Staff writer
(July 17, 2004) — A 1999 graduate of Aquinas Institute
who played a key role in the school's first state football
championship died Friday after he was struck by a car
in Athens, Greece.
Kory Schramm, 23, of Rochester had gone to Athens to
work in food service for the upcoming Olympic Games
and was due to start his job Friday.
Although just 5 feet 5 inches and 135 pounds, Schramm played defensive back with a ferocity that earned him Division III All-America honors at Hartwick College in Oneonta, Otsego County.
He graduated from Hartwick in 2003, served as an assistant coach and arranged for the job with Aramark Food Service Group.
While playing in the 1998 state championship game against Queensbury of Warren County, Schramm intercepted a pass and scored on a fake punt to help Aquinas win.
“The thing about Kory, I always compare him to Rocky Balboa (the movie prizefighter),” said Tony Lipani, who coached the Aquinas title team and now coaches at Spencerport. “He had so much fight and heart in him, and everybody looked up to him and responded to him.
“As a coach, there are certain athletes who never leave your heart, and he was one of them. When I heard about what happened, I broke down and cried for 20 minutes.”
Schramm packed a lot into his short life, said his father, Kurt. “I've told people, I didn't want to see the whole book (of his life), I just wanted to see a few more chapters. But we don't always get that opportunity.”
Schramm also is survived by his mother, Wendy; a brother, Kristopher; a sister, Karlee; his maternal grandparents; and a nephew. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.