ESPN’s Lee Corso Will Make Final Appearance on College GameDay in August

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For the last time ever, ESPN legend Lee Corso will make his iconic headgear pick on College GameDay’s first episode of the 2025-26 season.

ESPN announced Thursday that Corso, 89, will be doing one last show on Aug. 30 — week 1 of the college football season. At the time of writing, the location of Corso’s final show had not been determined yet.

As noted in ESPN’s announcement, Corso has been with College GameDay since its inception in 1987. His tradition of donning the headgear of a mascot to display his pick for the week began in 1996.

The release continued:

Entering his final broadcast in August, Corso has made 430 headgear picks all-time, including the Buckeyes a record 45 times.

“My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and College GameDay for nearly 40 years,” said Corso. “I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.”

Corso added: “ESPN has been exceptionally generous to me, especially these past few years. They accommodated me and supported me, as did my colleagues in the early days of College GameDay. Special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement. And lest I forget, the fans… truly a blessing to share this with them. ESPN gave me this wonderful opportunity and provided me the support to ensure success. I am genuinely grateful.”

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