‘ESPN College GameDay’ was on hand Saturday for the 124th Army-Navy football game, which is taking place right outside of Boston, MA for the first time in series history.
You don’t have to tell college football fans how storied and important that series history is. Along with the fact that most of the players involved go on to serve their country afterward, the game itself used to have national championship implications and regularly feature Heisman Trophy candidates.
While Army vs. Navy is less about championships these days, it remains a critical bridge to the sport’s history and traditions, as do the people who coached and played in those games.
That includes Lee Corso, who served as the defensive backs coach at Navy between 1966 and 1968. While he would become more well-known as the head coach at Louisville and Indiana before eventually becoming the headgear-wearing analyst we know and love on GameDay, Corso has very fond memories of his time with the Midshipmen.
The 88-year-old had the chance to relive some of those memories thanks to some unearthed footage from his time with the academy.
Coach Corso got emotional looking back at his Navy days 🥹 #CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/xvPpeYbZM7
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 9, 2023
Like so many live TV programs, GameDay is about pomp, excitement, and smiles. It’s not built for moments like the one that happened after the montage was over and Corso appeared pensive and melancholy while everyone else was laughing. Try as they might to turn the segment into a celebration, it didn’t seem to feel that way to the 88-year-old who is nearing the end of his historic run on the show and in the sport.
After Rece Davis told “LC” that if Navy won he could celebrate all he wanted, it seemed like celebration wasn’t the emotion of the day for the longtime coach.
“It brings back many memories,” said a contemplative Corso. “Very sad.”
“No!,” Pat McAfee blurted out immediately.
“Very happy,” added Davis, attempting to shift the tone.
It’s the kind of thing so many of us have done when talking to grandparents or elders when their unbridled honesty makes us uncomfortable. Instead of taking in their genuine reaction, we try to push past it or reshape it to make ourselves feel better. It’s a shame Corso, who can often wear his emotions on his sleeve, wasn’t afforded the moment to react honestly and feel heard.
Corso has become synonymous with wearing mascot heads on GameDay. The fear as he’s gotten older is that he himself has become something akin to a mascot. That he’s there to give audiences a nostalgic serotonin boost but otherwise remain out of view or be quiet. Again, it’s hard not to feel the parallels with how many older people become seen. Which, in turn, devalues their opinions and emotions.
Corso doesn’t have too many GameDays left in him. In fact, some viewers seemed to assume he would announce his retirement on Saturday. He didn’t, and now it looks like he’ll be there in Dublin when the 2024 season kicks off. The longtime ESPN college football analyst has earned the right to leave on his own terms, but we hope he gives himself plenty of time and space to remember everything, good, bad, happy, and sad, and for that to be okay.
