ESPN Gets Ready for Lee Corso’s Final College GameDay
After nearly four decades of mascot headgears, catchphrases, and unforgettable Saturday mornings, on August 30th at 9:00 am ET on ESPN, Lee Corso will do his final show. Viewers across the country are expected to tune in for the emotional farewell of a college football icon. Corso's final pick will mark the end of an era that shaped the spirit of College GameDay. He will be returning to Ohio Stadium, the place where he made his first headgear pick and make one more legendary call.
At the age of 90, Lee Corso will retire from college football, ending a 38-year career with College GameDay, the show that started in 1987. After making 430 mascot headgear predictions according to ESPN's official numbers, and a 286-144 record in picks. His picks include but are not limited to the Georgia Bulldogs, the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Florida Gators, the Texas Longhorns, and the Notre Dame leprechauns. Lee Corso brought many years of humor and insight to ESPN and College Gameday. He is famous for his witty, iconic phrase, “Not so fast, my friend.” As he steps away, the show faces a new era, one shaped by traditions that he helped build and the energy he brought to every broadcast.
Few moments in sports broadcasting are as memorable as the instant Lee Corso reaching for the mascot headgear. Corso has donned the headgear of 69 different college football teams, and the school that has the most picks is where he will sign off. The Ohio Stadium, affectionately known as the “Horseshoe,” because of its unique shape, is where Lee Corso made the pick that would become a College GameDay tradition. A movement that fused spectacle with sentiment, forever linking Corso’s flair to the heart of college football. Following this show, College GameDay hosts will miss the legend using headgear to pick his team.
His final show will bring many acclamations from co-hosts and special guests as they celebrate a remarkable career that helped form College Gameday. ESPN has already produced an emotional tribute for Corso before his final appearance on the show, where colleagues will say their gratitude and goodbyes to the legend. For fans across the country, Corso’s picks weren't just predictions-they were moments of joy, suspense, and ceremony. Lee Corso putting on the mascot headgear to pick the team has become college football's most anticipated move. The crowd goes wild every time he picks up his number two pencil. He brought excitement to College GameDay; that's something that not many people can do.
