Lee Corso, who has been a staple of ESPN broadcasts for 38 years, will make one last appearance on College GameDay on Week 1 of this coming season before retiring.
ESPN said it plans to air special programming paying tribute to Corso in the days leading up to his finale. The location of Corso’s sign-off from the popular pre-game show, which travels around the country to different college campuses, has not yet been announced.
Corso, who will turn 90 in August, has been a part of College GameDay since it debuted in 1987 and he is the only original personality still on the show. Several seasons after the show’s premiere, Corso hit on what became his signature, donning the headgear of the mascot representing the team he was picking to win. His very first headgear pick was in October 1996, when he donned Ohio State’s Brutus Buckeye mascot head in Columbus, OH. He has made 430 headgear picks in all, ESPN said.
For ESPN and parent Disney, college football has become a source of increasing revenue and ratings potency. During Corso’s tenure, the company has joined forces with conferences to launch dedicated networks, expanded into streaming, aired games on sibling broadcast network ABC and teamed with universities and athletic officials on the College Football Playoff. Tune-in over the years has continued to defy gravity despite cord-cutting. Thousands of fans typically show up week to week to attend the live GameDay telecasts, which culminate with Corso’s pick at the end of each episode, which always generates a big reaction from the crowd.
Prior to joining ESPN, Corso had a 28-year coaching career, including 17 seasons as a head coach at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois before a stint with the USFL’s Orlando Renegades. He is the only original College GameDay personality still with the show. (He was a contributor in 1987-88 and joined as an analyst in 1989). During his tenure, College GameDay has earned nine Sports Emmy awards in the Most Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly category and is nominated again this year.
“My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and College GameDay for nearly 40 years,” said Corso. “I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.” He added his thanks to ESPN, which he said has been “exceptionally generous to me, especially these past few years.” He also expressed appreciation for his colleagues, with “special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement.”
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said Corso has developed a “special connection to generations of fans through his entertaining style and iconic headgear picks.” He went on to say that Corso is “one of the most influential and beloved figures in the history of college football.”
