Since 1987. It’s been a very long time. Nearly four decades and 400+ mascot heads later, Lee Corso is retiring. “Do you know anybody else that makes a living putting something else on his head? I’m telling you, that has been an unbelievable thing for me,” he once told The Athletic in 2018. The 89-year-old ESPN College GameDay host is hanging up the mascot heads after Week 1 of the 2025 college football season. For longtime college football fans, this one hits different. And honestly, there will never be another like him.
Most iconic Lee Corso moments to remember
Former USC QB Max Browne put it best when he wrote “There will never be another Lee Corso.” Because if you’ve ever woken up to hear “Not so fast, my friend,” you know how special this man is. Teary-eyed, Browne walks fans down memory lane with nostalgia in his voice in his April 23’s Instagram reel that compiled some of the most iconic (and unhinged) moments of the ESPN legend.
When he said “Not tonight sweetheart”
The video began with Max Browne saying “Remember when Lee Corso” and the video shifts to him saying “Not tonight sweetheart, Give me that head” in September 2022. It was peak chaos and peak Corso. Even Super Bowl champ Ryan Clark reposted the clip with the caption, “This will forever be classic.” How could it not?
When he yelled the F word
November 2011 at the University of Houston campus. SMU vs Case Keenum’s Cougars. Corso’s pick was total chaos because Houston legend Carl Lewis was the celebrity guest. He grabbed an SMU megaphone, made his case, and hurled it aside and shouted “Ah, f— it” on live TV! Then, he put on the head of Shasta, Houston’ mascot.
When he called the kid a midget
In 2012, he dropped the infamous line on a young Ducks fan Braden Pape who chose Yale over Harvard. “Not so fast, midget,” he shot. Problematic? Yes. Hilarious? Also yes. But it was a classic Corso statement, off-the-cuff, zero filter.
When he was shooting guns as Pistol Pete
Stillwater, 2015. Bedlam rivalry game. Lee Corso picked Oklahoma State and fully committed. He threw on an oversized Pistol Pete mascot head and went full cowboy — firing pistols and even a rifle into the air as his fellow analysts ducked for cover. America, baby!
When he called the Georgia mascot ugly
Back in 2008, Corso didn’t keep himself on the leash in Athens when he met Uga, Georgia’s mascot. “I love Georgia but that dog is ugly,” he declared and put on Alabama’s elephant mascot head. Yeah, you can guess. Boos from UGA fans. 11 years later, he told Uga, “I want to apologize for calling you ugly… But I still think you’re ugly.” Fans booed. We laughed.
When Theo Von broke his brain
During the 2023 SEC title game, comedian Theo Van sat beside Corso and said, “They’re gonna pull off that Crustacean W down there. That crab leg dub. Believe me baby I’m that trust station, trust in me, I got this. Let’s go Florida State.” He was already looking lost. So when they asked his thoughts, he literally stared back at him and said, “What did you say?” It was the most relatable grandpa moment ever!
When he fooled us with Penn State
September 2018. Who can forget Lee Corso’s fake-out in the whiteout game between Penn State and Ohio State? He held up a Nittany Lion’s head, and pretended to hesitate putting it on. Then he tossed it aside and reached for another Penn State mascot. It’s pure drama that had both fans and his co-hosts going nuts.
When he made his first headgear pick 28 years ago
October 5, 1996, Columbus. Again Ohio State vs Penn State. Lee Corso didn’t pick through words. When Kirk Herbstreit picked OSU, he just said, “Alright good pick, I’ll tell you one thing.” Then he reached under his desk, pulled out Brutus Buckeyes’ head, put it on, and declared — “Buckeyes!” And that was how the mascot heads were born.
Through illness, age, and changing times, Lee Corso stood tall. The only original cast member left. The heart of GameDay. Come August 30, when he makes that final pick, there won’t be a dry eye in the house. There will never be another Lee Corso. And that’s both heartbreaking and beautiful.
The post ‘Never Be Another Lee Corso’: Ex-USC QB Turns Teary Eyed Over 89-YO ESPN’s Legacy appeared first on EssentiallySports.
