The Youngstown State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is pleased to announce the creation of the Robert J. and Lisa A. Korandovich Scholarship to enhance the YSU Athletics Scholarship Endowment Fund.
This scholarship was established in 2017 by the Korandovich family in support of a walk-on football student-athlete who strives to earn a scholarship through hard work, persistence and a desire through athletics, to expand their individual capabilities. Bob Korandovich played football at Youngstown State from 1982 through 1986.
Korandovich, who was a 1981 Youngstown All-City Series football player at Chaney High School, joined Penguins in the fall of 1982 as a walk. Playing for Coach Bill Narduzzi, he eventually earned a scholarship his junior year in 1985. A defensive tackle, Korandovich had 16 tackles as a senior and a career-high 50 stops as a junior. Of his 50 stops, 22 were solos and including two TFLs and a sack.
Following Korandovich’s senior season, then first-year Head Coach Jim Tressel helped him pursue his business interests by placing him with a summer internship.
His athletic and business background ultimately lead him into a successful career in the competitive retail energy industry. In 2008, Korandovich started his own business and is currently one of the largest independent Demand Response providers in this region.
He is married to Lisa Darvanan, a Youngstown native who attended Villa Maria High School and The Ohio State University School of Pharmacy. They have two adult children and reside in Columbus, Ohio.
The recipient will be a football student-athlete with preference give to someone who began their Penguins career as a non-scholarship member of the squad. Also first preference will be to Penguins who hail from Mahoning, Trumbell or Columbiana County.
“My goal for this scholarship is to support a student-athlete from the Youngstown area who through both football and education at Youngstown State University, can achieve the foundation to pursue their individual goals in life,” Korandovich said.
Paul McFadden, President of the YSU Foundation, said Korandovich’s work ethic helped him become successful and led him to success both at YSU and as a business professional.
“Bob was thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the YSU football program and knew the way to make a contribution was to work as hard as he could,” McFadden said. “That work ethic made him a success. We are thankful that he thinks enough of what YSU did to provide him with an opportunity that he and his wife have created a scholarship endowment for a deserving student-athlete.”
For more information, or to endow an athletic scholarship at Youngstown State University, contact the YSU Foundation at (330) 941-3211 or contact Dan Kopp at dkopp@ysufoundation.org
