A Birthday tribute to Lee Corso

On his 86th birthday, let’s truly appreciate one of college football’s greatest ambassadors.

There’s only one Lee Corso.

Since College Gameday’s inception in 1987, Lee Corso has been the one constant on the program.

In the 34 years since the show’s debut, the former Florida State quarterback has become one of college football’s most beloved figures. And rightfully so.

He’s done it all in those 34 years: he’s made us laugh, made us cry, and has overall, made our Saturday experience better.

Corso’s antics are the stuff of legends. He’s crowd surfed. He’s dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. He’s even dropped a couple of F-bombs.

And that’s before we even get to the headgear picks.

Now we’re throwing in wrestling Bill Murray. Sword fighting Kirk Herbstreit after picking USC. Last year, he picked Alabama to win a game with a 17-foot tall elephant in his own front yard.

And of course, one of his personal favorites, picking Oklahoma to win a game and firing off the shotguns, scaring the life out of Kirk Herbstreit every single time.

Some of his best moments came after 2009, despite a stroke that resulted in his doctors telling him he might never be the same. In an interview with the Washington Post, Corso had this to say:

"“It hurts me not to be able to communicate like I used to. I used to be pretty good at coming back, you know, quick one-liners. I don’t have spontaneity, I can’t do that as much now. … Every single week, I memorize the show, so that when I get on, I can actually do it. It gets frustrating because I want to be able to be like I was. But the doctor told me about two or three weeks after, he told me, ‘Lee, you’ll never be the same. You might as well adjust to how you’re going to be.’ I haven’t. But I was determined to get back on television. I wanted to get back.”"

Lee Corso isn’t slowing down

Even with that, Corso is still going strong. Despite memorizing the show, he still has a quick wit and his banter with the co-hosts is still highly entertaining.

Think he’s slowing down any? Not so fast, my friend. Now at 86, Corso is still the main attraction on Saturday mornings.

As a former player, coach and now analyst, Corso has meant a great deal to the college football world. But I’d like to take a minute to speak on what he’s meant to me.

Lee Corso is the reason I fell in love with college football in the first place. I vividly remember watching College Gameday in 2004. At age 9, I didn’t know much about college football beyond the basics.

But Corso drew me in with his humor and overall knowledge. And then came the headgear pick: Notre Dame over Michigan State.

Seeing Corso wear the leprechaun hat was so cool to a 9-year-old Notre Dame fan. I had to see what kind of crazy things he’d do the next week. And then I started watching more games beyond just the Irish and discovered just how great college football is.

I was never one of those kids that had “idols” growing up. But Lee Corso changed that. He was the first person (other than my Dad, of course) that I looked up to and said “I want to be just like him when I grow up.”

Without watching him on Gameday, I’m not sure my love for college football would have exploded like it did. He changed my childhood, and effectively, the rest of my life. Corso has influenced me more than just about anyone in the college football world.

I consider Lee Corso to be the greatest college football TV personality of all time. When the day comes that he decides to hang it up, you can never truly replace a guy like him. Nobody can provide the same excitement and entertainment he can. Nobody.

On behalf of college football fans nationwide, thank you for the memories over the last 34 years, and we look forward to the memories you’ll continue to create as only you can. Happy birthday, Lee. Go Navy, beat Army.