2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Lee Corso, Coach, Commentator, FirebrandBy Ken Kerschbaumer Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 7:00 am
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Sometimes a Hall of Fame career is born out of a passion and drive for excellence, but, every once in a while, it's born out of much humbler reasons. Such is the case with Lee Corso, who, from 1987 to last August, was a key reason that ESPN's College GameDay was required viewing for any serious (and many non-serious) college-football fans.
I got into television because, basically, I was getting out of coaching, Corso recalls. I didn't have anything else to do.
Born in Cicero, IL, he had a knack for playing football and played quarterback at Miami Jackson High School in Miami, where his family moved when he was 10. He then attended FSU, where he played both baseball and football (Hollywood icon Burt Reynolds was a roommate).
Following college, Corso became a defensive backs coach at Navy in 1966 (and, in another small-world occurrence, coached Tom Jackson, who would also have a stellar career at ESPN). In 1969, he was named head coach at Louisville and then was at Indiana from 1973 to '82. It was during his formative years at Louisville and Indiana that he was introduced to television via his coaching shows.
The Lee Corso persona we know, unconventional and wacky at times, was born during his coaching shows at Louisville and then Indiana, says Chris Fowler, who hosted GameDay for 25 years. He's a born entertainer and singular television talent. But, at his heart, he'll always be a coach, with an abiding love and respect for the game and the people who play it.
Corso and Kirk Herbstreit were on-air partners for 40 years. (Photo by Phil Ellsworth/ESPN Images)
By the way, when GameDay went to Indiana last year, the love and emotion that poured out from his players was truly moving, says Rece Davis, host of College GameDay since 2015. It was also unsurprising. Every week, Lee asks about our families. He asks for specifics. He celebrates success and moments, big and small, with all of us on the set. He's relentless in his encouragement. That's what a great coach, and friend, does. Lee has made it his life's work to bring joy to others on the field and on television. He succeeded.
Corso's early years doing his coaching shows revealed that he had what it takes to be a compelling on-air talent. In 1987, he auditioned for College Football GameDay, and it was down to Corso and another candidate. I told him I know one thing: you aren't going to get the job because I will do it for nothing, Corso laughs.
Fowler recalls that Corso was a firebrand during those early GameDay shows. He would not shy away from saying controversial things, strong opinions, and he could be a polarizing figure.
Corso sports the Ohio State University mascot head as Herbstreit looks on.(Photo: Phil Ellsworth/ESPN Images)
One example? On Nov. 13, 1993, College GameDay was on the road for the first time, visiting the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN. At that first game, Corso donned an FSU cap and said FSU would beat the Fighting Irish 31-30. Responding to the deluge of boos, he laughed, donned a Notre Dame hat, did the FSU chop, and predicted an Irish 31-30 victory.
That first road show quickly made clear that the combination of ESPN, College GameDay, and a college campus were a powerful and compelling mix. No one ever took a show like that on the road, says Corso, and that gave us something really different.
Three years later, he would take his predictions to new heights. In October 1996, the show was on the Ohio State University campus. Former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit had joined the show two months earlier. Herbstreit's wife was a former Ohio State cheerleader, and that gave Corso an idea.
Recalls Herbstreit, Lee called my wife, Allison, and asked, Can I borrow the [head of the Brutus mascot] for my pick?'
Adds Corso, I thought, if I put the head on during my pick, it would be funny.
The request was shot down, but Corso asked Herbstreit to persist, and, on Friday, the Athletic Director cleared the idea.
Fowler was vaguely aware that Corso had a stunt cooking for the end of the show. It was an ah-ha lightning-bolt moment in both the history of GameDay and in TV sports, he says of the moment Corso pulled the head from behind his desk and placed it over his head. In that segment, Corso went 286-144 in his 430 selections.
Corso as the Notre Dame leprechaun
In addition to wearing helmets, mascot heads, and other hats, he has dressed up as Notre Dame's Fighting Irish leprechaun, the Stanford tree, and historic figures James Madison and Benjamin Franklin. His affection for the Oregon Duck led to a ride on a motorcycle with the mascot. He once held a live baby alligator in his hands while picking Florida to win and took on pop star Katy Perry in picks from The Grove at the University of Mississippi.
Lee Corso has developed a special connection to generations of fans through his entertaining style and iconic headgear picks, said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro prior to Corso's retirement. Lee is one of the most influential and beloved figures in the history of college football, and our ESPN team will celebrate his legendary career during his final College GameDay appearance this August.
Corso suffered a stroke in 2009, which left him unable to speak for a time, but he returned to the show later that year. His travel has been limited in recent years, but Corso was at the site of last year's national title game in Atlanta.
Corso in a contemplative mood
ESPN has been exceptionally generous to me, especially these past few years, he says. They accommodated me and supported me, as did my colleagues in the early days of Col
