History of Lee Corso in Timeline

Lee Corso is a well-known American sports broadcaster and college football analyst for ESPN. He gained prominence as a key analyst on ESPN's popular College GameDay program since its start in 1987. Before his broadcasting career, Corso was a football coach. He is known for his enthusiastic personality and his signature headgear selections at the end of each College GameDay show, where he predicts the winner of the featured game by donning the mascot headgear of the team he believes will win.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

August 7, 1935: Born in Cicero, Illinois

On August 7, 1935, Lee Corso was born in Cicero, Illinois.

August 7, 1935: Lee Corso Born

On August 7, 1935, Lee Corso was born. He is an American sports broadcaster and college football analyst for ESPN and a former coach.

1956: Blue-Gray Game

In 1956, Lee Corso was the starting quarterback for the South in the Blue-Gray Game, where his team lost to the North.

1957: Bachelor's Degree

In 1957, Lee Corso graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical education.

1957: Married Betsy

In 1957, Lee Corso married his wife, Betsy.

1958: Master's Degree

In 1958, Lee Corso earned a master's degree in administration and supervision.

1962: Recruited Darryl Hill

In 1962, Lee Corso recruited Darryl Hill to transfer to Maryland, making him the first African-American football player in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

1966: Defensive Backs Coach at Navy

In 1966, Lee Corso became the defensive backs coach at Navy.

1967: Top 20 Ranking

In 1967, Indiana earned their first top-20 ranking since 1967.

1969: Head Football Coach at Louisville

In 1969, Lee Corso became the head football coach at the University of Louisville.

1970: Louisville Bowl Game

In 1970, Lee Corso took Louisville to only its second-ever bowl game.

1972: Coaching Position at Indiana

In 1972, Lee Corso concluded his time at Louisville and was hired by Indiana University.

1972: Hired by Indiana

In 1972, after coaching at Louisville, Lee Corso was hired by Indiana.

1973: Coaching at Indiana

In 1973, Lee Corso began coaching at Indiana.

1973: Head Coach at Indiana University

In 1973, Lee Corso began his tenure as the head football coach at Indiana University Bloomington.

1976: Photograph with Scoreboard

During a game in the 1976 season, Lee Corso called a timeout after Indiana scored a touchdown, and the entire team took a photograph with the scoreboard filling the background.

1979: Winning Season at Indiana

In 1979, Lee Corso led Indiana to a winning season, ending with a 7-4 record and a trip to the Holiday Bowl.

1980: Winning Season at Indiana

In 1980, Lee Corso led Indiana to a winning season.

1982: End of Indiana Coaching Tenure

In 1982, Lee Corso concluded his time as head football coach at Indiana University Bloomington.

1982: Fired from Indiana

In 1982, after ten years with an overall record of 41–68–2, Lee Corso was fired from Indiana.

1984: Head Coach at Northern Illinois University

In 1984, Lee Corso served as the head football coach at Northern Illinois University.

1985: Head Coach for Orlando Renegades

In 1985, Lee Corso became the head coach for the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League.

1986: USFL Suspends Operations

In 1986, Lee Corso was slated to return to the Renegades, but the USFL suspended operations before the season began.

1987: Analyst on College GameDay

In 1987, Lee Corso became an analyst on ESPN's College GameDay program, a role he has held since the show's inception.

1987: Hired by ESPN

In 1987, Lee Corso was hired by ESPN as an analyst for its Saturday College GameDay program.

1993: College GameDay Originated

Since 1993, College GameDay had originated from the site of one of the day's big games.

October 5, 1996: Mascot Headgear Prediction

On October 5, 1996, Lee Corso started his mascot headgear prediction on College GameDay at the Ohio State-Penn State game.

2001: Soybean Crayon Effort

In 2001, Lee Corso spearheaded an effort to create a crayon completely out of soybeans.

2006: EA Sports NCAA Football

In 2006, Lee Corso appeared in EA Sports' NCAA Football titles along with Herbstreit and play-by-play man Brad Nessler.

2006: Nike Commercial Cameo

In 2006, Lee Corso made a brief cameo in a Nike commercial featuring the fictional Briscoe High School football team.

May 16, 2009: Suffered a Stroke

On May 16, 2009, Lee Corso suffered a stroke at his Florida home, leading to partial paralysis and requiring intensive rehabilitation.

December 9, 2010: Awarded Contributions to College Football Award

On December 9, 2010, Lee Corso was honored with the National College Football Awards Association's Contributions to College Football Award.

2011: End of Play-by-Play

In NCAA Football 11 in 2011, Lee Corso did not do play-by-play.

November 1, 2014: 250th Headgear Pick

On November 1, 2014, Lee Corso made his 250th headgear pick, TCU's Super Frog, before the TCU-WVU game in Morgantown, West Virginia.

2018: Death of Burt Reynolds

In 2018, Burt Reynolds, Lee Corso's former roommate and teammate at Florida State, passed away. The two remained close friends until Reynolds's death.

September 16, 2023: 400th Headgear Pick

On September 16, 2023, Lee Corso made his 400th headgear pick, Colorado's Chip the Buffalo, before the Buffaloes' game versus the Colorado State Rams in Boulder, Colorado.

December 9, 2024: Headgear Pick Record

As of December 9, 2024, teams chosen by Lee Corso in his headgear picks have had a record of 284 wins to 142 losses, producing a win percentage of 66.67%.