After 38 years as the beloved face of ESPN’s College GameDay, Lee Corso bid farewell on Saturday. Wearing a tuxedo, the 90-year-old closed out his legendary run in trademark fashion — with one last headgear pick.
Corso ended just as he began decades ago, choosing Ohio State to beat Texas. He placed Brutus Buckeye’s headgear on his head, gave his famous wave, and signed off with a smile.
“Give me my first love!” Corso said, before grabbing the mascot head.
At the end of one of the day’s biggest games between the No. 1 Longhorns and No. 3 Buckeyes, Corso’s prediction was right. But it wasn’t the only call he nailed.
He also correctly picked his alma mater, Florida State, to upset Alabama.
“Florida State is my school, how would I pick against them? Florida State upsets Alabama,” Corso said.
The Seminoles delivered, knocking off the Crimson Tide 31-17.
That win highlighted a remarkable twist to Corso’s farewell: every program he had ever played for or coached won on Saturday (h/t Joe Broback).
- Maryland beat Florida Atlantic 39-7
- Navy beat VMI 52-7
- Louisville beat Eastern Kentucky 51-17
- No. 20 Indiana beat Old Dominion 27-14
- Northern Illinois edged Holy Cross 19-17
Corso’s ties to those programs stretch back decades. He played for Florida State from 1953-57 and later became a graduate assistant there in 1958. He then spent six years as a quarterbacks coach at Maryland (1959-65) before serving as a defensive backs coach at Navy (1966-68).
In 1969, he landed his first head coaching job at Louisville, where he stayed for four seasons. He followed with a 10-year run at Indiana, his longest tenure, before finishing his college coaching career with Northern Illinois in 1984. He later coached the Orlando Renegades in the original USFL in 1985.
Corso’s record as a head coach was 73-85-6 in college and 5-13 in the USFL. While his numbers on the sideline may not have built his legacy, his personality and energy behind the microphone did. Corso became the heart of College GameDay and one of the most recognizable figures in college football history, helping turn ESPN’s Saturday morning show into a cultural institution.
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