College football broadcasting won’t be the same anymore. Lee Corso, the greatest ever to grace CFB broadcast studios, will be leaving the gig after dedicating 38 years to the job. From his memorable headgears to his iconic tagline of “Not so fast, my friend,” Corso will be missed terribly. He will finally rest his mic in late summer this year. CFB media figures are all remembering his quirky yet unique personality that shone in a career he’s stretched to the longest possible mile.
Lee Corso joined ESPN’s College GameDay way back in 1987. He built a name for his analyses of the sport and also for his one-of-a-kind perspective on things. At his age, he still stuck to just his phone for communication. He asked dear friend Kirk Herbstreit to share a word of gratitude to fans when his retirement was announced. The man never shied away from staying true to himself. David Pollack recalled that Corso would be restless until the headgear of the day arrived on set. Amusingly, he’d also hoard all the snacks after they wrapped up the show.
Before becoming a broadcaster, Corso was also a CFB head coach. He started off strong in his 4 years at Louisville and then spent 10 years at Indiana. Rich Eisen, who attended Michigan, shared an anecdote narrated by Rod Woodson about an interesting encounter with Corso. The analyst recounted from the former athlete, “He said he was recruited by Indiana. And he opened the door one day to his house, and standing on the other side of the doorstep, was Lee Corso.” Indiana was pursuing Woodson, but he ultimately went over to Purdue.
“And Corso like rings his doorbell. Rod Woodson opens it up, and it’s Lee Corso saying, ‘Son, I’ve just been fired as the head coach of Indiana University on my way over. I heard it in the car on the radio,” Rich Eisen added. This would be in 1985. “And he goes, ‘But, it’s still an amazing school. And I think you should go there.’ Wow. That was what his pitch was,” the analyst remarked. This was a let-go head coach, still trying to encourage Woodson to join his former home, and that too at his own expense.
Corso went above and beyond for his role, be it as a college football HC or as a broadcaster. He reached out to friends in need, and always made it a point to let fans know he was grateful for them.
Kirk Herbstreit shares a heartwarming gesture from Lee Corso
ESPN announced that Corso will take to the mic one last time on August 30. In a statement released by the organization, he said, “I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.” One of those friends is Kirk Herbstreit. Corso even shouted out to him, saying, “Special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement.”
On a heartwarming note, he reached out to Herbstreit to extend a thank you note to fans on social media. “Ya gotta know our guy doesn’t have a computer let alone social media…haha…so I called him just now to make sure he knew how much the CFB community has been pouring out their love for him,” Herbstreit tweeted. Corso wished to know that he appreciated that gesture. He said, “Hey Kirk can you put up on your Facebook or Twitter or whatever it is how much I appreciate all the well wishes – it really means a lot to me.” To that, the analyst added, “I told him, ‘I don’t have Facebook, but I’ll definitely send out a tweet to let people know how much you appreciate it.”
“He was a guy that was willing to say things that a lot of people weren’t willing to say. He had fun,” Herbstreit noted recently. Lee Corso always stayed true to himself. It is because of the impact he leaves with it that we will miss him. Here’s to Lee Corso, one of the most memorable faces in CFB media, hands down.
The post “I’ve Been Fired”: Unbeknown Lee Corso Tale Disclosed by Michigan Alum Before His Final ESPN Act at 90 appeared first on EssentiallySports.