“Not so fast, my friends”…former Florida State Seminole and mascot headgear prognosticator Lee Corso is going slowly into that good life.

On April 17, Corso announced that after nearly 40 years as a part of ESPN’s College Game Day, he is hanging up the headgear in August and retiring.  Corso will turn 90 on August 7.

Corso’s final appearance on Game Day will be August 30 – the first week of college football where he is sure to don the headgear of his chosen team one last time.

ESPN has announced that there will be programming celebrating Corso will be forthcoming.

Corso issues a statement saying, “my family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and ‘College GameDay’ for nearly 40 years.  I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.”

He added, “ESPN has been exceptionally generous to me, especially these past few years.  They accommodated me and supported me, as did my colleagues in the early days of College GameDay. Special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement. And lest I forget, the fans … truly a blessing to share this with them. ESPN gave me this wonderful opportunity and provided me the support to ensure success. I am genuinely grateful.”

Corso joined ESPN’s “College Game Day” in 1987; it would take nearly 10 years before he debuted his now very popular “headgear segment” where instead of just naming his choice for the winning team, he would don the team mascot’s headgear or football helmet if no mascot was available.  In the case of the Notre Dame leprechaun, Corso would don the entire Fighting Irish costume and the tree from Stanford University.  He has even donned the costumes of James Madison and Benjamin Franklin.

Since that first headgear segment, Corso has made 430 selections and has a record of 286 wins and 144 losses.

“College Game Day” colleague Kirk Herbstreit spoke on Corso saying, “almost 30 years together.  I have enjoyed sitting next to you, watching you do your thing.  So much fun and so many great moments on the show and off the show. This is a celebration for everything you did. You’re an icon and once in a lifetime person. It has been a special time for all of us. You’ve earned this retirement.”

Herbstreit added, “Coach Corso has had an iconic run in broadcasting, and we’re all lucky to have been around to witness it.  He has taught me so much throughout our time together, and he’s been like a second father to me. It has been my absolute honor to have the best seat in the house to watch Coach put on that mascot head each week.”

“College Game Day” host Rece Davis spoke on Corso saying, “Lee is the quintessential entertainer, but he was also a remarkable coach who established lifelong connections with his players.  When GameDay went to Indiana last season, the love and emotion that poured out from his players was truly moving. 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.”

Former show host Chris Fowler added,

“Lee has been an indelible force in the growth of college football’s popularity.  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.”

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro spoke on Corse saying, “Lee Corso has developed a special connection to generations of fans through his entertaining style and iconic headgear picks.  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 had a stroke in 2009 and was unable to speak for some time but returned to the show later that year.  In recent years, Corso has been a part of “College Game Day” on part time basis in recent years.

A roommate of Burt Reynolds at Florida State, Corso went on to paly professional football and later coach before coming to ESPN.  Known best for his stint on “College Game Day”, Corso also appeared as the sportscaster voice in an episode of “8 Simple Rules” and was in “The Waterboy”.

Corso earned nine Emmy Awards as a part of “College Game Day”.

Feature photo credit: MBN S24G02 TEXAS-14 (cropped) Corso.jpg  ESPN’s College Gameday crew during a 2024 show at Michigan Stadium