Lee Corso retires: Longtime 'College GameDay' host to call it quits after 38-year run on ESPN show

David Suggs

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Lee Corso retires: Longtime 'College GameDay' host to call it quits after 38-year run on ESPN show image

"College GameDay" will look mighty different in 2025.

Lee Corso, the famed coach-turned-commentator whose hoarse tones have dominated ESPN airwaves, is ending his run on the storied program in 2025, the network announced on Thursday.

"For multiple generations, Coach has been the face of our Saturday mornings and the sport we love," the program said via a statement posted to X. "Our friend, our coach, our heart...LC, you will forever be a College GameDay legend."

Corso, 89, won't quite disappear into the sunset just yet. He'll make his final appearance on "College GameDay" in August when the show returns for Week 1 of the college football season.

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Here's what you need to know.

Lee Corso retires

Thursday's announcement represents the end of Corso's glistening 38-year tenure on ESPN's flagship college football program.

He joined the network back in 1987, spearheading ESPN's "College GameDay" coverage alongside Tim Brando and Beano Cook.

Initially a studio show aired from ESPN's Bristol, Conn. headquarters, Corso hit his stride when "College GameDay" became a traveling circus. His spell-binding diction and commitment to sporting an assortment of mascot heads made him a force around the college football world.

Now 89, Corso's retirement has seemed imminent over the past few years. He exits the game with a glittering reputation, one largely defined by his antics on ESPN's highest-profile college football offering.

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

"Special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement. And lest I forget, the fans...truly a blessing to share this with them."

Lee Corso age

Corso is 89 years old, having been born on August 7, 1935. He'll turn 90 ahead of his final appearance on "College GameDay."

Sports world reacts to Lee Corso's retirement

Corso's retirement brought with it a swell of support from talking heads in the world of sports, with his longtime "College GameDay" colleagues Kirk Herbstreit and Rece Davis proving two of the loudest voices to lend support to his career change.

 

David Suggs

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.