“End of an era” is a phrase so often overused that the impact it attempts to convey is lost. Yet it certainly applies to Lee Corso’s final “College GameDay” on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
Corso, 90, has been with the ESPN college football pregame show since its debut in 1987 and been a key part of it as it broke free of its studio trappings and became a traveling road show while growing into a national phenomenon. If “College GameDay” was visiting, the game on campus that Saturday was likely the biggest in the sport that weekend.
As the show gained popularity, Corso became a face of the sport — much like he predicted he would, as original host Tim Brando recalled to ESPN’s Ryan McGee. Tendencies like always holding a No. 2 pencil became a signature trait. That pencil was regularly used to emphasize his “Not so fast, my friend!” retort to a point or pick he disagreed with, often directed at fellow analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
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However, Corso is best known for his prediction for the game that “College GameDay” was spotlighting that Saturday. He revealed his pick by donning the headgear of the mascot from the team he believed would win, drawing cheers or boos from the boisterous crowd of students and fans gathered to cheer on their school and watch the show in action.
(Ohio State, site of Saturday’s “College GameDay” was where Corso made his very first headgear prediction in 1996, picking the Buckeyes to beat Penn State. The campus has hosted the show 26 times, more than any other school.)
It would’ve been hard to predict a former head coach at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois eventually becoming a nationally adored figure and our college football dad every Saturday morning. Yet not being as accomplished as, say, Nick Saban added to Corso’s appeal. It made him more endearing and accessible.
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Corso knew football, but also brought the passion of a fan to it instead of standing on his achievements to make him an authority. But his accomplishments, including a playing career as a defensive back and quarterback at Florida State, gave him credibility. He still ranks third in career interceptions with the Seminoles, tied with Deion Sanders at 14. Yet Corso was fine if people knew him more for being Burt Reynolds’ roommate in Tallahassee. It was a fun fact and made for great stories.
Appropriately, Corso’s final “College GameDay” comes before one of the most anticipated college football games of recent memory, with No. 1 Texas facing No. 3 Ohio State in Columbus. His final pick will be such a big moment that Fox will include it on its competing “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show, according to On3’s Brett McMurphy. Additionally, reporter Tom Rinaldi and statistician Chris Fallaca, who worked with Corso at ESPN, will pay tribute to their former colleague on the program.
If Corso dons the head of Brutus the Buckeye, fans will love him for it. And if he picks the Longhorns by putting on the Hook ‘Em headgear, those same fans will boo him — but good-naturedly and with love.
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That will be the prevailing emotion outside St. John Arena on Saturday. We’ll cherish Coach Corso’s final “College GameDay” and perhaps try not to think about college football Saturday mornings without him.
