Beloved, Longtime Sports Analyst Set to Retire After Four-Decade Run

Think Lee Corso is gonna stick around ESPN forever? Not so fast, my friend.

The 89-year-old sports analyst will retire from ESPN’s College GameDay in August, after hosting the popular show for almost 40 years. Corso began hosting in 1987.

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

The analyst is well-known for wearing various headgear to select the football team he thinks will win a contested matchup, and for often saying “not so fast, my friend” anytime he disagrees with his fellow panelists. He is also known for holding a #2 pencil in nearly every single segment that the show produced. (If you’re wondering why, he used to work for Dixon Ticonderoga in the football offseason.)

As mentioned, Corso was famous for donning helmets, mascot heads, leprechaun ears, presidential wigs, and all manner of headwear. Over his career, he put on 69 different hats. The one he put on the most? The head of Ohio State mascot Brutus the Buckeye, which he wore 45 different times. Across his career, Corso correctly predicted the winning team with his hats 286 times out of the 430 times he selected one.

Corso spent 28 years as a college and pro football coach before joining College GameDay. His co-host, Kirk Herbstreit, has worked on the show with him since 1996.

“Coach Corso has had an iconic run in broadcasting, and we’re all lucky to have been around to witness it,” Herbstreit said in a statement to ESPN. “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.”

Due to a 2009 stroke and general health problems from his old age, Corso has been limited in his travel over the past few years, although he did recently make it to the national title game in Atlanta.

“ESPN has been exceptionally generous to me, especially these past few years,” Corso said. “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’s last broadcast will be August 30, ESPN said. Additional programming to commemorate his career will be aired in the week leading up to it.