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ESPN announces one-hour special to honor Lee Corso before final College GameDay appearance

by: Alex Byington08/07/25_AlexByington
Lee Corso
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ahead of Lee Corso‘s farewell appearance after nearly four decades on ESPN’s College GameDay, ESPN plans to honor the legendary broadcaster with a new one-hour special commemorating his more than 75 years as a college football icon, the network announced Thursday. The special, titled “Not So Fast, My Friend: A Lee Corso Special,” will air at 9 pm ET on Friday, Aug. 22 ,on ESPN, with a re-air opportunity the next day, Aug. 23, at 1 am and 8 am ET on ESPN2.

Corso, who turned 90 years old on Thursday, will make his final headgear pick of his illustrious 38-year career on College GameDay on Aug. 30 in Columbus, Ohio. That comes ahead of a much-anticipated season opener between Ohio State and Texas.

ESPN’s primetime special will highlight Corso’s life, including his “larger-than-life personality and the immeasurable impact” he’s had on college football as a player, coach and broadcaster. The special will feature appearances from College GameDay personalities past and present, as Rece Davis, Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Tim Brando, Chris Fallica, Maria Taylor and more share their personal memories of working alongside Corso.

Other contributors include some iconic names in football. NFL quarterback Drew Brees, former Navy legend Darryl Hill, actor Ken Jeong, broadcaster Tom Jackson, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, track and field legend Carl Lewis, Stanford general manager and alum Andrew Luck, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and famed broadcaster Mike Tirico are all set to appear, according to ESPN’s release.

ESPYs pay emotional tribute to Lee Corso with USC band, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard

One month before his final appearance on College GameDay, Lee Corso was recognized at the ESPYS on Wednesday. ESPN paid tribute to the icon with a video, as well as a performance from the USC marching band with Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee and Desmond Howard on stage with him.

Corso thanked ESPN for Wednesday night’s tribute, and he smiled from ear to ear when the USC band came out to play the College GameDay song.

“I’m honored to be here tonight,” Corso told the crowd at the Dolby Theatre. “I want to thank ESPN for this tribute and opportunity to do a job that I’ve loved for 38 years. My goal on TV was to bring a smile to everybody’s face. I hope I’ve done that. My wife, Betsy, and I have been married for 69 years. And I just wanted to thank her for loving me and allowing me to love her for all of those years.

“Thank you very much, ESPN, for this honor [and] tribute, and I appreciate everybody here. Thank you very much.”

While announcing Corso’s retirement, ESPN said it has special programming planned for the days leading up to the Week 1 matchup. It marks the end of an era for College GameDay with its last remaining original panelist leaving. Herbstreit didn’t join the show until 1995.

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

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.