‘Not So Fast My Friend’, Famed ESPN Personality Announces Retirement
Apr 17, 2025, 9:35 AM
38 year College GameDay veteran Lee Corso will end his run on the show after week one in 2025. (Courtesy of Deseret News)
(Courtesy of Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Legendary ESPN College GameDay personality Lee Corso is leaving the college football Saturday morning staple after 38 years with the network.
Corso, who turns 90 years old in August, will participate in his final broadcast on August 30. ESPN is expected to celebrate Corso’s influence in the days leading up to college football’s opening weekend.
“My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and College GameDay for nearly 40 years,” Corso said in a statement released by ESPN. “I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories, and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.”
After 38 incredible years, Lee Corso is retiring ❤️
For multiple generations, Coach has been the face of our Saturday mornings and the sport we love.
Our friend, our coach, our heart … LC, you will forever be a College GameDay legend! pic.twitter.com/AjK8iNw7ye
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) April 17, 2025
Corso developed a reputation for bombastic responses, over-the-top rhetoric, and working the GameDay crowds into a frenzy before donning a mascot head to make his picks. He has used the headgear segment since 1995 to the delight and equal disappointment of fans across the nation. Corso is 284-144 in his 430 headgear picks, according to ESPN.
“Lee Corso has developed a special connection to generations of fans through his entertaining style and iconic headgear picks,” said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. “Lee is one of the most influential and beloved figures in the history of college football, and our ESPN team will celebrate his legendary career during his final College GameDay appearance this August.”
Statement from ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro on Lee Corso's upcoming retirement
More: https://t.co/RpjhSPhmQJ pic.twitter.com/JhX7pcEcSQ
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 17, 2025
College GameDay’s week one destination will be announced later this spring.
About Lee Corso
Working alongside other broadcast luminaries like Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, Rece Davis, and Robert Griffin III, Corso often finds a way to steal the show with his football knowledge and on-camera showmanship.
Corso has been inducted into the Halls of Fame at Florida State, Louisville, and Indiana. He is also in the Kentucky and Florida Sports Halls of Fame. In 2010, the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) honored him with the Contributions to College Football Award in recognition of his lifetime of achievement and integrity in the sport.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
