‘Felt Like I Was Dead’: Lee Corso Makes Devastating ESPN Admission as He Comes Clean on Illness

“As far as I can tell from watching ‘Gameday’ on television, he is still pretty much the same Lee Corso that was at FSU in the ’50’s.” recalled late Tallahassee lawyer and FSU alum, Jim Joanos. A flamboyant persona, Lee Corso was a darling back in his time at Florida State, and he continues to be so till date. With his iconic headgear picks, Ticonderoga pencil, and signature roll cry, “Not so fast, my dear friend,” he kept the fans hooked. But after 38 years on ESPN, the heartbeat of College GameDay announced his retirement and bid adieu to a legendary era.

For over 35 years, with his swagger and charisma, he would celebrate the gridiron and the legends it churned out from the trenches. The news of his retirement was overwhelming. The outpouring of wishes and tributes followed. Coaches, players, colleagues, and fans all shared what Corso meant to them. But for an emotional Corso, the flood of well-wishes sparked a startling realization. He made a shocking confession following the celebrated game-day premiere, and it struck a chord.

“I told Kirk after looking at that (wishes) I felt like I was dead,” he admitted to ESPN. “And it looked like I was watching it my grave side.” To commemorate his legacy, ESPN aired a special to honor his dedication to the sport for more than three decades. It featured guest appearances from Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Dabo Swinney, and others. 

But the special program led to an unintended effect on the legend. “And then all these people were saying all these things about me. I’m still alive,” Corso admitted. “But it’s almost like I was dead because I can’t believe it. I don’t think I didn’t think I helped many people, but I did.”

He further delved into the intense, overwhelming emotions that took hold of him.”You know when you die, you lose pieces of you. Always there’s same thing. Pieces of you died forever, live forever,  and when the coach, the players hit down with it, that’s what I feel like.” Almost perfectly poetic but that conversation brought back a distinct memory from the 2000s when he suffered a stroke. He recalled how in that challenging time, his friends stayed put, holding his hand strong as he navigated through it all.

In May 2009, back home in Lake Mary, Florida, Corso suffered a stroke after he fetched his morning newspaper. He temporarily lost his ability to speak while experiencing partial paralysis. But he bounced back, back to the College GameDay box, with Kirk Herbstreit beside him. “I don’t remember it being as if Lee was my mentor, I was his pupil, so now I’ve got to help him out,” said Herbstreit. I just sat next to him, and felt like if he ever got stuck, I would try to subtly interrupt him or put my hand on his.”

But his health is a constant concern for the fans.

Lee Corso’s health concerns looms large

“Now, I can’t remember anything,” Lee Corso let out the ugly truth as he laughed sadly.  The context? The host was marvelling at Corso’s excellent memory. Last night, Corso stopped by Kirk’s house for dinner. One of the guys present there told Corso that he had been Kirk’s father back in the day. Even after 15 years or so, Lee recognized the man and inquired about his son and called his name. The bit the host was touching upon was Lee Corso’s excellent memory, but the legend painted a different truth.

“I can’t remember nothing. But it’s it’s it’s true. Right. Yeah. You get older, you lose somebody,” Lee Corso admitted. ” And I just lost it now because it was time to go. It was time to go because with Parkinson’s I can hardly move on and now my memory is the tough _____(can’t make out this particular word. Even otter is not able to pick it up.)

Over the years, the 90-year-old, Lee Corso’s absence on the College GameDay fuelled concerns about his health issues. Last year, he missed four games and three games in 2022. Back in 2020, when the pandemic was raging all across, he appeared from his home. For a while, speculations took off that Lee Corso might step back, but Nick Saban’s entry to the fore and Corso’s persistence and the love for gridiron gave way to another two seasons of his refreshing inssights. Now, it feels like like tomorrow has already come, as he will make his last appearance for Ohio State vs Texas. And fans remiscing, ‘Not so fast, my dear friend.’