🏈 Lee Corso’s Last Headgear

The Legacy in Numbers

Author

Samuel Rogers
August 31, 2025

The Moment

Nearly 40 years after joining College GameDay, Lee Corso has made his final headgear pick.

It began in 1996, when Corso first donned Ohio State’s Brutus Buckeye head.
It ended in 2025, in Columbus again — Brutus on his head, the crowd on its feet, and a tradition coming full circle.

📊 The Data That Defines Corso

1. Career Span & Picks

  • Years on College GameDay: 38 (1987–2025)

  • Headgear Tradition: 29 seasons (1996–2025)

  • Total Headgear Picks: 431

  • Record: 286–144 (≈66.5% accuracy)

Men lie. Women lie. The numbers never do.
Corso’s picks weren’t just theatrics — they were correct two-thirds of the time.

2. Ohio State: His First & Last

  • Most Picked Team: Ohio State (46 times)

  • Record Picking OSU: 31–14

  • First Pick (1996): Brutus vs. Penn State → Ohio State win.

  • Final Pick (2025): Brutus vs. Texas → chose Ohio State again.

That symmetry — beginning and ending with Brutus — is data poetry.

3. Broadcast Economics & Impact

  • College GameDay’s audience surge under Corso:

    • 1993 average viewership: ~1.1M

    • 2023 average viewership: ~2.1M (nearly doubled)

  • Sponsorship ROI: Corso’s segment consistently ranked as the #1 peak engagement moment per show.

  • ESPN monetized the ritual — a viral, shareable moment every Saturday.

The headgear was never just entertainment — it was a ratings and revenue driver.

4. Cultural Analytics

  • Catchphrase: “Not so fast, my friend!” — part of the sport’s language.

  • Social Era Impact: By 2015, his weekly picks drove millions of impressions on Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok.

  • Longevity: Few broadcast personalities sustain a gimmick for 29 years. Corso made it timeless.

🎺 The Farewell in Columbus

  • The Ohio State band spelled “CORSO” on the field.

  • 100,000+ fans gave a standing ovation.

  • Herbstreit, Fowler, and Davis delivered tearful send-offs.

Data defines his career. Emotion defines his legacy.

🔎 Blunt Insight

Lee Corso transformed a simple gag into a case study in sports media branding.

  • 431 predictions.

  • 66.5% accuracy.

  • A tradition that delivered ratings, culture, and brand equity.

Corso wasn’t just predicting games. He was building ritual. ESPN didn’t just have a host — they had a walking, talking tradition.

Lee Corso’s legacy proves one truth: tradition + entertainment + consistency = brand dominance.

📢 Your turn: What’s your all-time favorite Corso headgear moment — and did the numbers back him up that day? Drop it in the comments and let’s give him the data-driven send-off he deserves.