Lee Corso reached a big milestone on Saturday, and the longtime analyst was nearly moved to tears over the way ESPN celebrated it.
Corso was hired by ESPN in 1987. His famous headgear picks began in 1996, when he picked Ohio State to defeat Penn State by donning the mascot head of “Brutus the Buckeye.” The schtick became incredibly popular, and Corso has been doing it on “College GameDay” since.
On Saturday, Corso made his 400th headgear pick. ESPN commemorated the occasion with a video tribute to Corso that left the 88-year-old very emotional. You can see the full promo below and Corso’s reaction at the end.
Corso had trouble speaking afterward, but he thanked ESPN for sticking with him after he suffered a stroke in 2009. He also gave a shoutout to Kirk Herbstreit’s wife Alison, a former Ohio State cheerleader, for gaining access to the Brutus mascot head in 1996 so Corso could use it on the air.
“400, wow, where does time go?” an emotional Corso said. “I first want to thank ESPN for sticking with me when I had my stroke. Second of all, a special shoutout to Kirk’s wife Alison. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have had Brutus. And finally, to all my colleagues on the set for putting up with my schtick for all these years. Thank you very much.”
Corso missed a handful of “College GameDay” broadcasts last season when he had some health issues, but fans were thrilled when he returned to the air.
ESPN was in Boulder on Saturday ahead of the Colorado-Colorado State game. Corso’s 400th head gear pick went in favor of the Buffaloes.
