Lee Corso persevered through health struggles and kept returning to College GameDay

As Lee Corso approaches his last College Game Day show, it's worth noting that his commitment to the work has sustained him through some health issues in his advancing years. Corso had a lengthy career, which epic moments playing at Florida State and coaching at Louisville and Indiana before he moved to TV and his move to being one of the most famous nonagenarian personalities hasn't always been smooth.

Corso's big scare

In May 2009, Corso, who was then 73 years old and coming off his 22nd year of College Game Day, suffered a stroke at his home in Florida. The stroke caused Corso to be partially paralyzed and for a time, even unable to speak. Concerns about his ability to return to his ESPN post were secondary to concerns about his ability to live a full and functional life.

But after the trouble came the grit and courage that have typified Corso's career. Corso adopted a goal of rehabilitation that would allow him to return to College Game Day to open the 2009 season. He worked on speech and mobility and lo and behold, was back at his usual spot to open 2009.

One major impact of the stroke was to tighten the relationship between Corso and fellow ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit. They had worked together on College GameDay since 1995, but after the stroke, Herbstreit notably assumed a more protective role over Corso, helping to prompt him or direct early conversations after Corso's return. For his part, Corso had to script his points much more carefully, as the faculties to ad-lib smoothly were a little slower to return than his speech. But ESPN supported Corso's return to his mascot-head-wearing glory.

Other Health Issues

While Corso has avoided any other major health problems, he is a 90-year-old man. He missed five weeks in the 2022 season and had other minor issues. During the 2020 COVID pandemic, producers set up Corso to contribute remotely to College GameDay.

Near the end of the 2024 season, ESPN President Burke Magnus said on a podcast that the plan was to "do what we've done for a couple years running... have a conversation with him after the season and see where things are." But even as seemingly indestructible as Corso has been, one last show at age 90 was enough for him to finish.

But his mark on college football broadcasting remains secure. Fellow analyst Desmond Howard explained, "He is such an important figure, not only on the show, but just in college football — period. And nothing was more inspirational than his comeback."