Lee Corso ESPYs tribute: College GameDay cast honors legend before his final show in August

The 2025 ESPYS were held on Wednesday, with the annual show highlighting the best from sports over the past year. It also gives a platform to those who have made a difference in the sports we love. 

The College GameDay cast, consisting of Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, and Desmond Howard, took the stage early in the show to talk about the impact that former coach Lee Corso has had on our Saturday mornings in the fall. Corso has been on College GameDay for 38 years, but this August marks his last show before he retires.

The trio introduced Corso, who delivered an impassioned speech, and was then surprised by a tribute that was more than he had expected. 

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Here's more on Corso's tribute at the 2025 ESPYs. 

Lee Corso ESPYs tribute

Corso's final episode of College GameDay will be on Aug. 30. The GameDay crew will be in Columbus, Ohio, as Ohio State hosts Texas in a massive matchup at the start of the 2025 college football season. It will begin the new year but also mark the end of an epic run for Corso in his role on the Saturday morning preview show.

Corso is known for his iconic lines and for donning the headgear of the team he is picking for that weekend's featured matchup. College GameDay has said that the headgear pick will also be ending with Corso. 

After his fellow panelists introduced him, Corso made his way to the podium. He discussed his time on College GameDay over the past 38 years and what it has meant to him. He also gave shoutouts to his family, including his wife of 69 years. 

It seemed like Corso's tribute was winding down, but then McAfee stated that the ESPYs crowd wanted to send him out in the only way a show in LA could.

All of a sudden, the USC marching band and cheerleaders stormed the stage along with fans. The people behind Corso had signs like we see fans make on Saturday mornings, and there were even some fans wearing headgear in the form of Corso's head. Someone gave him a Trojan helmet, and Corso donned it like he was selecting USC one more time on Saturday mornings. 

— 🏀 Claymore (@ClaymoreKwaram1) July 17, 2025