Legendary ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso will make his final appearance later this month on College GameDay for the #1 vs #2 showdown when the Ohio State Buckeyes host the Texas Longhorns in Columbus.
But today, Corso is celebrating his 90th birthday. And as ESPN personalities have taken to social media to wish the coach a happy birthday on his milestone day, the network has revealed plans for a special program commemorating what he has meant both to ESPN and college football as a whole.
The television special, aptly titled Not So Fast, My Friend: A Lee Corso Special, will air on Friday, August 22, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. It will feature a look at Corso’s life in football through his playing days, coaching career, and one-of-a-kind time in broadcasting. According to ESPN, it will also feature Corso’s current and former colleagues on College GameDay and several legends from the sport.
Before Lee Corso makes his final headgear pick on College GameDay Built by The Home Depot on August 30, ESPN will honor the legendary broadcaster with a one-hour special, Not So Fast, My Friend: A Lee Corso Special, on Friday, August 22 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN with a re-airs on Saturday, August 23 at 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. on ESPN2. The special will be available to stream on-demand on ESPN+ after its initial airing.
The primetime special will highlight Corso’s extraordinary life, his larger-than-life personality and the immeasurable impact he has had on college football as a player, coach and broadcaster. Corso has been connected to the sport for more than 75 years, beginning in the 1950s during his playing days at Florida State, then over nearly three decades as a coach at Louisville, Indiana, Navy and Northern Illinois, and for the past 38 seasons on ESPN’s College GameDay, where he has entertained fans across multiple generations.
GameDay personalities from past and present, including Rece Davis, Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Tim Brando, Chris Fallica, Maria Taylor and more, share their favorite moments and memories with Corso from the program’s early days to the highly anticipated road show that now travels from campus to campus weekly ushering in the kickoff of college football Saturdays. Other contributing voices to the special include coaches, players, fellow broadcasters and celebrities with special ties to the nonagenarian, including Drew Brees, Darryl Hill, Ken Jeong, Tom Jackson, Lane Kiffin, Carl Lewis, Andrew Luck, Steve Sarkisian, Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney and Mike Tirico.
ESPN also paid tribute to Lee Corso earlier this summer at the ESPYs in an emotional moment where he was able to give a speech surrounded by his College GameDay castmates.
It was announced back in April that Corso would work his final episode of College GameDay during the opening week of the college football season. It’s reminiscent of the retirement of fellow member of the 90+ club, Hubie Brown, who worked one last game for ESPN in Milwaukee in February.
Fittingly, Corso will return to the scene of his first headgear pick at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio, for his final GameDay appearance. ESPN and College GameDay will never be able to fully replace Lee Corso, as he has been synonymous with the network and the sport for so many years. You can expect Saturday morning in Columbus to be a memorable and emotional one as he says goodbye.
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