At 25, Kirk Herbstreit was a nervous newcomer, sweating his way through an interview with Lee Corso. Just a few years out of college at Ohio State, he had given up on a career in the pros and taken to broadcasting.
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What happened next shaped nearly three decades of their lives in college football. Corso became more than a colleague, guiding Herbstreit like a pupil. Decades later, reflecting on their bond left Herbstreit fighting back tears.
“I mean, he and I, kind of a father-son relationship, working together 29 years. I don’t think he has ever met. Just salt-of-the-earth, greatest guy. He treated everybody on game day, from a first-year PA to the producer to the PA of the show, everyone the same,” Herbstreit told Will Compton and Taylor Lewan on Bussin’ With the Boys.
The veteran CFB analyst explained that people often associate him with Lee Corso because of their close bond. However, Herbstreit emphasized that Corso had a special relationship with everyone, saying, “every single person talked the same way about him, and that’s what kind of made him a special person.”
“I could never be him, but I could learn by watching, probably like you, who looked up to somebody, whether it was either a coach or an older player. You don’t have to talk; you learn,” Herbstreit concluded.
Since joining ESPN’s College GameDay, Herbstreit never felt out of place on the set, thanks to Corso, who always looked out for him and made sure the then-25-year-old absorbed every lesson he could. At the time, the former Indiana head coach was the face of the show.
Coincidentally, it was when Herbstreit joined the College GameDay that Corso started his famous headgear picks. Before a game between Ohio State and Penn State in October 1996, Corso put on the Brutus Buckeye headgear, an act which became synonymous with the show.
According to Herbstreit, their bond only grew stronger after he became a father, as Corso moved beyond small talk and genuinely checked in to see how he was doing. That simple act of kindness resonated deeply with Herbstreit, who felt his own father had never been the same kind of listener.
“We would inevitably get into conversations because he’s a guy that would ask you how you’re doing,” Herbstreit said in his conversation with The Mental Game podcast. “No, how are you really doing? And I would open up, and I would talk to him, and he would listen. That was a key because my dad didn’t listen real well.”
Herbstreit reflected on his bond with Corso in his 2021 memoir Out of the Pocket: Football, Fatherhood and College GameDay Saturdays, co-written with Gene Wojciechowski, where he described Corso as his mentor, friend, and “second father.”
After decades together, Corso announced his retirement last year after 38 seasons on College GameDay. His 2009 stroke, which left him partially paralyzed, hinted that retirement could eventually come. But through those difficult years, Corso never walked away, with Herbstreit guiding and supporting him through it all. But Corso didn’t retire before making his final headgear pick. Last year, as Texas came to Columbus to Ohio State, Corso again chose the Buckeyes as his pick, just as he did 29 years ago.
Despite his retirement, Corso and Herbstreit’s friendship has remained intact. Earlier this month, while Herbstreit was in Orlando for a Citrus Bowl appearance, Corso insisted that he come over to meet him. The 91-year-old even offered to drive over himself rather than have Herbstreit come to him.
Years have passed, but despite their 34-year age gap, their friendship remains as strong as it was three decades ago.