It happened gradually. Organically. It wasn’t something Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso even had a conversation about, at least not directly.
“I don’t remember it being as if Lee was my mentor, I was his pupil, so now I’ve got to help him out,” said Herbstreit, the longtime analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” “I just sat next to him, and felt like if he ever got stuck, I would try to subtly interrupt him or put my hand on his.”
“I didn’t have a game plan,” added Herbstreit. “I just felt that was my role.”
In May 2009, Corso suffered a stroke at his home in Lake Mary, Fla., near Orlando, after going out to fetch his morning newspaper. The affable, rabble-rousing elder statesman of the popular college football pregame show was a still-sprightly 73 at the time. GameDay ended each episode with Corso donning a mascot head to signify his winning pick for that day’s marquee matchup.
Corso, of course, would recover and return, and 16 years later, his headgear pick remains the signature moment of Saturday mornings in the fall. But Corso’s legendary run is finally coming to an end. At 90, the former college player and coach is set to retire following this Saturday’s show in Columbus, Ohio, for No. 1 Texas against No. 3 Ohio State, signing off after a remarkable 38-plus seasons on “College GameDay.”
