Saying goodbye to much-loved people at work is always hard. It is especially so for their friends, who have stood by them through their long-tenured careers. That is the case for Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso, as the latter will bid ESPN‘s College GameDay goodbye. The legendary broadcaster will be remembered by many, and took to a unique medium to express his gratitude. Both the media figures share a close and special bond, that they will fondly look back at as Corso retires later in the year.

Lee Corso will be leaving the CFB media after an overwhelmingly long presence. Before that, he was a college football coach for 15 years. Corso said in a statement released by ESPN, “My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and College GameDay for nearly 40 years. I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.” He wanted to reach out to the online community to share his gratitude, but unfortunately didn’t know how to.

Naturally, he turned to close friend Kirk Herbstreit. Corso asked him to take to social media, since the former doesn’t own a computer or have any social media presence. Herbstreit amusedly told him that while he won’t be able to do that on Facebook, he’ll put out a tweet on his behalf.

And Herbstreit delivered. On April 18, he posted a picture of Corso walking along with him, taken last year at the Rose Bowl. He narrated the entire incident: “Ya gotta know our guy doesn’t have a computer let alone social media…haha…so I called him just now to make sure he knew how much the CFB community has been pouring out their love for him..as we talked about other things we were about to hang up and he said ‘hey Kirk can you put up on your Facebook or Twitter or whatever it is how much I appreciate all the well wishes-it really means a lot to me’-and I told him ‘I don’t have Facebook but I’ll definitely send out a tweet to let people know how much you appreciate it.’” And wait, Herbstreit wasn’t done yet. He also added to that note, “It’s hard to let go I’m sure-but he really sounds like he’s at peace and it’s the right time. God bless him-he’s the best!”

The veteran broadcaster will be 90 by the time he formally retires. That’s way beyond the age one decides to step away from the professional world. It only shows how dedicated Corso is to the sport. Lee Corso showed up on the job coming back from a stroke, and losing his ability to ad-lib. This shows that he’s done what he’s loved for the longest time. He will be back for one last appearance on August 30 on ESPN‘s College GameDay. He’ll always be known for his memorable headgear picks and his infamous slogan of “Not so fast, my friend.”

Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit’s special bond

Prior to Kirk Herbstreit stepping in to relay Lee Corso’s wishes, the latter had taken time to mention the former in his statement. He said, “Special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement.” Herbstreit had joined College GameDay in 1996. By that time, Corso had already completed 17-18 years as an analyst on the show.

Herbstreit also wrote in an initial response, “I thank you for so many lessons you taught me. Almost 30 years together, I’ve enjoyed sitting next to you watching you do your thing. So much fun. We’ve had so many great moments on the show, off the show.” Corso was also joined by some other greats of the game like Nick Saban, who is currently a weekly analyst.

While we still do not have news on whether ESPN will be choosing to replace Corso. Some say the media house better not, and some say that the show must go on. His successor will never be Corso. One of the most-loved shows in the college football media will be bidding us goodbye for one last time in the summer. Like Herbstreit, it also pains us to see a legendary face stepping away from the spotlight for good.