A native of Toronto, Clifford Rumsan was a product of the playgrounds of the city as he excelled in softball and other athletic activities offered during the summer season. In the winter months, Cliff, like so many top bowlers of the day, set pins at both Riverdale and the Olympia Lanes located above Basil's Restaurant on Yonge Street. Also, with labour shortages that were prominent during World War II, a young Cliff was employed as a busboy by Toronto Terminal Railways and was located at Union Station. As he bobbed along with his trays, his employers thought his movement resembled a cork, and thus the nickname "Corky" was introduced and has stayed to this day.

At only 16, Corky had already advanced to the position of second chef for the entire railway system and, as well, he was a major league bowler. On teams under the sponsorship banner of Speeds Taxi and Riverdale, Corky rubbed shoulders with top bowlers of the day such as Maw Mori, Lorne Taylor, Tommy Mallon and Hall of Famer Fred Halle. Corky dove into league play with a passion and, despite getting married in 1951, Corky bowled in as many as seven leagues a week.

With tournaments at a premium and his work schedule making participation in the Master Bowlers Association impossible, Corky used all-events tournaments, the CBC television series and sweeps to improve his talents. The CBC television series was one of the most prestigious events of this era and Corky was a participant on seven different occasions covering fourteen weeks. Corky was a repeat winner and cashed in as host John Martin of O'Connor Bowl would pay one dollar for every pin bowled over 1400 for the five game set. Overall, Corky had four weeks over 1500 and two weeks over 1400 before losing, on separate occasions, to legendary Quebec bowlers Andre Morrisette and Francois Lavigne.

Corky was a willing participant in the many all-event tournaments that were held annually in Waterloo, Collingwood, Oshawa and Peterborough. Corky's partners were lifelong friends Maw Mori and Fred Halle. Their scores were so high that, on more than one occasion, the threesome was paid off and the tournament re-started. Fred Halle ultimately became the president of the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers' Association and he encouraged Corky to enter the Open, which began an involvement with the provincial championships that continued until his retirement from bowling in 1988.

At the provincial Open, Corky bowled through a transition period as the event was originally conducted by the bowling proprietors before the Ontario Bowlers Congress took over the event in 1965. Since that time, Corky bowled on thirteen occasions and coached three times as well. In 1968, he was a teammate of John Mattioli, also an inductee tonight, as the Toronto zone rolled a 1539 last game to eliminate a 239 pin lead held by Niagara and win the provincial title by thirteen pins. While this team lost the national title to British Columbia, Corky won provincial titles on three occasions, two on the men's team and one on the mixed teams. Overall, these Ontario representatives won three national silver medals. But Corky did more than bowl at the Open. Initially, he joined the tradition of hospitality rooms and catered the Toronto Association for several years. This effort expanded to become province-wide as, on behalf of the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers' Association, Corky provided the food for the Thursday night reception for more than ten years. Moreover, as President of the Toronto 5 Pin Bowlers' Association, Corky catered the Friday midnight buffet at the annual convention in Muskoka.

For Corky, bowling was a way of life. Initially, he bowled nearly every night of the week and entered as many tournaments as possible. As well as the Open, Corky won the first tournament at Cobourg where you counted your best seven of ten games. He bowled for thirty years in the City Major League, rolled a perfect game in the Crosstown League in 1977 as part of an 1138 triple and, during an Ace Bowl Invitational, rolled seventeen consecutive strikes. In recognition of his achievements, both on and off the lanes, Corky was awarded life membership by the Toronto 5 Pin Bowlers' Association.

Corky and his wife, Dolly, once had catering contracts with Grand and Toy, Ontario Hydro and the Toronto Transit Commission before retiring in 1988. Today they live in Cannington, northeast of Toronto, and enjoy entertaining their family, which includes thirteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.