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Lee Corso, the analyst known for his headgear picks and signature phrase "Not so fast, my friend," will retire, ESPN announced on Thursday, April 17. The 89-year-old's final show will be on Saturday, Aug. 30, the 2025 season-opening episode of College GameDay.
Corso has been a constant presence for college football fans on Saturday mornings since 1987, when he moved into broadcasting after a 28-year coaching career.
"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 to ESPN. "I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement."
In the 1950s, Corso played quarterback and defensive back at Florida State University. While in Tallahassee, he earned the nickname "Sunshine Scooter" for his speed on the field.
At FSU, Corso played alongside his roommate and future actor Burt Reynolds. The two remained close until Reynolds' death in 2018, Sports Illustrated reported.
After his college career, Corso jumped right into coaching. He stayed at Florida State as a graduate assistant before moving to Maryland to become a quarterbacks coach for the Terrapins from 1959 to 1965.
Corso stayed in the Old Line State, coaching defensive backs at Navy from 1966 to 1968. Before the 2023 Army-Navy Game in Foxboro, Massachusetts, College GameDay aired long-lost video of Corso during his time in Annapolis.
The archival footage included an interview of Corso speaking about the greatness of the rivalry between the two East Coast military academies.
"There is nothing like it," said Corso. "If you could coach one game in your whole life, if you coach the Army-Navy Game, you can get out of coaching. You get all the things that are wrapped around coaching in your whole career."
From Navy, Corso landed his first head coaching job in 1969 with the Louisville Cardinals. That's where he coached Tom Jackson, who also eventually became an ESPN analyst covering the NFL.
Indiana hired Corso in 1973 and was the head coach until 1982. His best season in Bloomington was in 1979, when he led the Hoosiers to an 8-4 record, capped off with a victory over undefeated BYU in the Holiday Bowl.
Rece Davis, GameDay's host since 2015, said the show's November 2024 episode at Indiana was especially heartwarming.
"Lee is the quintessential entertainer, but he was also a remarkable coach who established lifelong connections with his players," said Davis. "When GameDay went to Indiana last season, the love and emotion that poured out from his players was truly moving. It was also unsurprising.
"Every week, Lee asks about our families. He asks for specifics. He celebrates success and moments, big and small, with all of us on the set. He's relentless in his encouragement. That's what a great coach, and friend, does. Lee has made it his life's work to bring joy to others on the field and on television. He succeeded."
Corso later became the head coach at Northern Illinois in 1984 before finishing his coaching career in 1985 with the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League. He didn't return to the Renegades in 1986 because the USFL suspended operations.
ESPN hired Corso in 1987 as the young sports network launched College GameDay. While the first six seasons were in ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut, the pregame show began traveling to college campuses in 1993, showcasing the biggest matchups, fiercest rivalries, and some lesser-known programs.
In a few years, an audible by Corso changed everything for College GameDay.
Before Penn State played at Ohio State on Saturday, Oct. 6, 1996, Corso picked the Buckeyes to win the game. He also decided to wear the head of OSU's mascot, Brutus Buckeye.
Ohio State dominated the Nittany Lions 38-7, and College GameDay's biggest tradition was born.
"Lee has been an indelible force in the growth of college football's popularity," said Chris Fowler, who hosted GameDay for 25 years. "He's a born entertainer and singular television talent. But at his heart, he'll always be a coach, with an abiding love and respect for the game and the people who play it."
ESPN said Corso has made 430 headgear picks on GameDay. "Scooter" has gone 286-144, dressing up as everything from Notre Dame's leprechaun, to Benjamin Franklin in honor of the Penn Quakers in 2002, to Ephelia the Purple Cow from NCAA Division III's Williams College in western Massachusetts.
In 2019, Corso picked Florida while holding a live baby alligator.
"Lee Corso has developed a special connection to generations of fans through his entertaining style and iconic headgear picks," said ESPN chair 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."
Despite suffering a stroke in 2009, Corso continued to appear on GameDay for 15 more years. While his travel was limited in recent seasons, he made plenty of appearances on the show, most recently before the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship.
ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, a former Ohio State QB, has been Corso's teammate on the road since 1996.
"Coach Corso has had an iconic run in broadcasting, and we're all lucky to have been around to witness it," said Herbstreit. "He has taught me so much throughout our time together, and he's been like a second father to me. It has been my absolute honor to have the best seat in the house to watch Coach put on that mascot head each week."
Corso is the only child of Italian immigrant parents, Orlando Magazine reported. His family moved to Miami when he was 10 to escape mob violence and seek a better life.
His father, Alessandro, laid terrazzo floors, while his mother, Irma, worked in school cafeterias.
"My father would tell me, 'What a great country this is, that I could have a son like you, and he can get a college degree,'" Corso told the magazine in 2013.
Corso earned his bachelor's degree in physical education and a master's in administration from Florida State. He's been married to his wife, Betsy Youngblood, since 1956, and the couple has three children.
In the offseason, Corso has served as director of business development for Dixon Ticonderoga. The company is well-known for its No. 2 pencil, which Corso held countless times on the College GameDay set.
Corso also brought his dynamic on-air personality to film and television. He had a cameo as himself in the 1998 football movie "The Waterboy" and made an appearance as a sportscaster on the TV show "8 Simple Rules" in 2002.
Like legendary coach-turned-broadcaster John Madden did in the NFL, Corso used his voice in college football video games. The "Ask Corso" feature recommended playcalls during the first run of EA Sports' franchise before its 11-year hiatus.
ESPN is planning special programming to honor Corso before his final GameDay appearance.
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