Lee Corso received a celebratory sendoff from ESPN and College GameDay to kick off the 2025 college football season. However, celebrations of the 90-year-old legend weren’t done yet.
Saturday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis awarded Corso with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom, which is awarded to those with “meritorious contributions” to Florida and its people. Corso was recognized for his influence on college football, sports broadcasting, and his alma mater, Florida State University.
Before he was one of ESPN’s faces of college football, Corso was the “Sunshine Scooter” for the Seminoles, playing both offense and defense and leading FSU in interceptions in 1954, rushing in 1955, and passing in 1956. He was still the FSU career interception leader with 14 until Deion Sanders came along.
Happy to have Coach Lee Corso come to the Governor’s Mansion to receive the Medal of Freedom for his lifetime contributions to the game of football and beyond.
Thank you to the FSU band, cheerleaders and dancers who helped make this a great event. pic.twitter.com/qXMXn30SIm
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 4, 2025
Later on Saturday, with Florida State hosting rival Miami, Corso was honored with a replica jersey with the No. 20 he wore during his playing days.
Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, who worked alongside Corso on College GameDay for many years, were on the call and had the chance to pay their respects as well.
Lee Corso is honored at Florida State.
Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit offer commentary on their friend during the Miami-Florida State broadcast for ESPN on ABC. 🏈🎙️ #CFB pic.twitter.com/vWnW0AawaC
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 5, 2025
Herbstreit also shared footage of the in-stadium tribute to Corso, which included his time on GameDay, where he became famous for donning mascot heads while making game picks.
Along with football, Corso also played baseball at Florida State. After graduating, he embarked on a coaching career before eventually joining ESPN. He was inducted into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.