ESPN Pays Tribute to Unsung College GameDay Legend Who Passed Away Before Getting Lee Corso-Like Send Off

This season is also one where we don’t get to see some legendary forces that make the sport what it is. ESPN’s is already bidding goodbye to Lee Corso today, but they also took a moment for another special figure. While the legendary presenter became a household name by leading the show, this man was the fuel behind everything that made College GameDay so special.

The College GameDay panel will see a void after today, when Lee Corso formally steps back from his iconic broadcasting career. It just wasn’t a GameDay show without him putting on his headgear picks. However, ESPN is also missing a life force from their on-campus production unit: Chad Hanna. As the network gears up to remember Corso’s career, it also remembered Hanna’s longstanding bond with the show.

Hanna worked as an EVS operator with for ESPN College GameDay, and was one of the most important faces among the show’s crew. He and Lee Corso are the only two people to have been with the show since its first road outing in 1993, in South Bend. College Gameday prepared a short segment in his honor. Prdocuer Jim Gaiero shared his thoughts. “See, as much as Coach [Corso] has been the heart of the desk, Chad has been the lifeblood of the production truck. Countless ESPN producers first learned television at Chad’s side, in the tape room. It was a master class on leading with respect and grace,” he said.

Hanna passed away in July this year, aged 67. Last year, College Gameday announced that the veteran was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and was receiving medical care. He leaves behind son Colin Hanna and daughter Kristen Freeman, and 4 grandchildren. Last year, Hanna was unable to join the crew because of the treatment. Colin sent in some warm words for ESPN who sent a shoutout for their veteran crew member. “For the past 30+ years, every weekend my dad has called @CollegeGameDay his home away from home as an integral part of the production team. […] I know he means so much to the show and the crew, but the show, the crew, the fans, and the lifeblood of College Gameday mean so much to him,” Colin shared on X.

“It is truly his professional crown jewel,” he added. The on-road crew of College GameDay lives an extremely tough life, being away from home and work relentlessly to produce these shows every season. Chad Hanna, ever since GameDay’s first outside-studio trip to Notre Dame, has seen the show evolve through all these years.

Chad Hanna saw the evolution of College GameDay in his longstanding career

ESPN started College GameDay with Lee Corso who had just rested his coaching career. But 1993 was when ESPN shook things up for the show, by introducing on-the-road coverages. Corso was the only member from the original cast, that included Tim Brando and Beano Cook, to have continued this long. But behind the spotlight, even Chad Hanna saw the massive growth that the show has seen since his arrival.

College GameDay also did a special shoutout for Hanna during a Jackson State game in 2022. He said about the development of the show, “It just started out with three guys sitting in director’s chairs, not even having an actual set. You know, from four cameras to 17 cameras to virtual overlays, it’s been a slow, steady growth.” He’s also been an inspiration to so many other crew members throughout his decades long career.

With Lee Corso signing off today, GameDay will be marking an end of an era. While he ran the show on camera, Chad Hanna was the lead who led the show on the ground. With both of them gone, College GameDay embarks on a new history.