Born in Glounthaune, County Cork, Corcoran first played competitive Gaelic games whilst at school at Midleton CBS Secondary School. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of fifteen when he first linked up with the Cork minor teams as a dual player, before later joining the under-21 sides. He made his senior debut during the 1991-92 National Hurling League. Corcoran went on to play a key part for Cork as both a hurler and as a footballer, and won three All-Ireland medals, five Munster medals and two National Hurling League medals. He also won three Munster medals as a footballer. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on three occasions.