Lee Corso of ESPN College GameDay chose his 400th piece of headwear on Saturday, continuing a custom that began in 1996. Due to his distinctive heritage, the 88-year-old former coach has established himself as a mainstay of college football coverage.
ESPN produced a video in Corso’s honor that explored the history of the headgear custom and Corso’s influence on college football. In the video tribute, Corso’s coworkers Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, and Chris Fowler all spoke about the iconic commentator, as did notable coaches Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and Marcus Freeman.
After the network played the tribute, Corso was moved to tears live on College GameDay, suggesting that ESPN may have surprised him with the video. Corso continued by thanking everyone who had contributed to the segment’s fame, including Herbstreit’s wife and ESPN coworkers.
Following the segment’s airing on ESPN, observers and fans expressed their admiration for Corso and his custom on social media.
Since College GameDay hasn’t gone to Boulder since the tradition started, Corso’s selection of 400 hats will also mark a first. This will happen on Saturday. And, appropriately, Corso predicted that the Buffaloes would triumph over their local foe.