She became the sole owner of the Tampa Bay Rowdies from 1986-94, an era in which the franchise went from the North American Soccer League to independence to the American Indoor Soccer Association to the American Soccer League to the American Professional Soccer League. 

Through all the changes, Corbett had an intensified enthusiasm for soccer, which she believed had a prominent place in the Tampa Bay area sports scene. 

Corbett was introduced to soccer in 1983 when her husband, Tampa developer Dick Corbett, and a partnership purchased the Rowdies’ franchise. When the NASL folded, she refused to retreat, guiding the iconic franchise brand to solvency and new-found success. 

“Without Cornie, there would not be professional soccer in Tampa, it’s that simple,’’ said Peter Anderson, the Rowdies’ assistant general manager, in 1988. “She is so determined to succeed that she instills confidence in everyone she comes in contact with.’’ 

Often, Corbett was the lone female at league meetings. 

“It never occurs to me that I am the only woman (there),’’ Corbett once said. “It doesn’t make a difference if you are a man or woman if you know your subject.’’ 

Corbett, a dedicated philanthropist, advanced her soccer legacy with a $1.5-million gift to the University of South Florida and the 2011 opening of Corbett Soccer Stadium, which has been home to USF’s championship programs for men’s and women’s soccer, plus the introduction of its highly successful women’s lacrosse program.