Fox Sports and ESPN may be battling for viewers with their respective college football pregame shows, but the former provided a classy touch on Saturday as they paid tribute to the legendary Lee Corso.
Corso, 90, has been part of ESPN’s ‘College Gameday’ since it debuted in 1987, delighting fans with his donning of headgear each week and trademark sense of humor.
And Fox honored Corso on the day of his final show with ESPN, as Tom Rinaldi put together a touching video essay during ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ for his friend and former colleague at the Worldwide Leader
Speaking from Columbus ahead of the Ohio State’s matchup with Texas, Rinaldi said: ‘Say the name Lee Corso at any campus across this country, across this last set of decades, and you’ll get the same universal reaction: a smile.’
Rinaldi’s video essay soon started playing, with the reporter calling Corso ‘Saturday morning’s grandfather’ and ‘the games enduring, endearing gift.’
‘Lee Corso isn’t a college football institution,’ he continued. ‘Because institutions aren’t beloved – he is.’
Lee Corso, 90 receives a hug from Pat McAfee during his final ‘College GameDay’ show
Corso wore a tux for his final broadcast as he steps away from a legendary broadcasting career
The video featured moments from Corso’s life in football over the years, in which he held coaching roles at Maryland, Navy, Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois prior to moving to ESPN.
Of course, the video also displayed myriad examples of Corso’s famous prediction tradition – putting on the headgear or costume of the team’s mascot he was backing. Unsurprisingly, ESPN produced their own video tribute to Corso, who was part of the original ‘GameDay’ cast.
Rinaldi’s essay concluded with him saying: ‘We love you coach Corso and always will.’
For his final broadcast on ESPN, Corso wore a tuxedo, while the rest of the crew even wore headgear with his face on it at one point.
And for his final pick, Corso made the same prediction that he made for his first ever pick on ‘GameDay’: Ohio State.
‘Give me my first love!,’ he said, before putting on the headgear of the school’s Brutus Buckeye mascot. Separately, Corso also predicted LSU to win this year’s national championship.
Fox Sports’ Tom Rinaldi put together a touching video tribute for his friend Lee Corso
Kirk Herbstreit patted Corso as he donned the Brutus Buckeye headgear for the final time
Fans brandished posters in honor of Corso’s last broadcast from Columbus, Ohio
The final headgear selection – Corso’s 431st – was also broadcasted by Fox from inside Ohio State’s stadium.
Corso suffered a stroke in 2009, which affected his cognitive abilities and speech.
His health issues caused him to miss shows in previous years (namely five during the 2022 season), and he hasn’t been featured during the full three hours of the program in recent years.
His friend and longtime colleague Kirk Herbstreit previously addressed the health issues Corso was facing.
‘We all wondered, ‘is he gonna be OK?’ and he was determined with his speech therapist,’ Herbstreit told Pat McAfee in 2023.
Fans appeared in droves to watch the last show of Corso’s storied broadcasting career
‘If you ever know of anybody who’s had a stroke, that’s sometimes very hard to overcome and he still is working on that to this day. So it’s not just that he’s 88. It’s that he had a stroke.
‘He’s worked very hard to get his words out and God bless him for having that wherewithal and that passion to love this game so much to keep trying to go.’
On Saturday, McAfee and Corso could be seen sharing a hug on set as fans flocked to see his final show – with some even brandishing special posters for Corso.
‘NO MASCOT HEAD BIG ENOUGH 4 YOUR LEGACY,’ one read. ‘WE LOVE U.’
