On August 30, Texas will lock horns with Ohio State in a battle of the greats. On that day, one of the most iconic CFB constants will end his career then. A 90-year-old Lee Corso will bow out as a broadcaster from ESPN’s College GameDay. He will pick his favored headgear for one last time, and maybe for the last time, we’ll be hearing ‘Not so fast, my friend,” from the broadcasting legend. However, a multi-billion-dollar juggernaut had a wonderful surprise ready for him to make the best of his life away from the comm box.

Corso has dedicated more than 35 years to college football broadcasting. When you think of College GameDay, you think of Corso and massive mascot headgear. Out of 430 predictions, Corso landed 286 of them. But now, it’s time for the inevitable. The veteran presenter battled a lot of health troubles as he aged, and this is when he took it easy. But that doesn’t mean the Lee Corso experience will stop in college football. Samsung US has already set up the stage for him to enjoy the sport from home.

A video shows the Corso walking into a room with a massive helmet blocking his view of the surprise. “We want to do something special for your retirement,” a rep said. Samsung presented a curated college gameday setup from the icon, complete with a giant TV and other Lee Corso memorabilia. A yellow scooter as an ode to his ‘sunshine,’ his pencil, and even a picture of Uga, the ultimate Georgia Bulldog. “That bulldog haunts me,” he said jokingly, referring to his 2008 scandal of calling the poor mascot “ugly.” With all the snazzy gifts from Samsung, Lee Corso was beyond happy.

Samsung roped in Rece Davis for the project, who urged fans to pitch in their ideas of what would make the ultimate college gameday setup for the veteran broadcaster. “100-inch TV with the best sound system ever, and a nice curved couch with a fridge he can be close enough to with all of his favorite snacks and drinks, and with every team’s helmet that he’s picked for his head gear,” one fan summarised aptly. The tech giant now gives Lee Corso the full experience so that he can just kick his legs up and enjoy the sport he dedicated his life to: college football.

It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to the legendary Lee Corso. He deserves this and more, given his relentless service to college football. We know him now as the face of college football programming. But back when College GameDay was being put together, Lee Corso was never the frontrunning choice.

Lee Corso came close to losing College GameDay gig to another

Lee Corso became an analyst for the ESPN show in 1987. Three years before that, he was a college football head coach, with a 73-85-6 record. The network already had broadcasting icons Beano Cook and Tim Brando as the stars for the show. While looking for other figures to fill up the remaining spots, Lee Corso was a consideration. But he was never the sure-shot winner for the show. Pepper Rodgers, a more famous face than Corso at that time, was expected to be the man for the job.

GameDay personalities warmly recalled how Corso sabotaged an audition he and his competitor were called for. “They want us to come up here every week. I mean, you don’t want to come up here every week,” Corso was heard saying, reports Sports Business Journal. “Lee was in Pepper’s ear every time we weren’t taping, trying to convince Pepper that this was not the job for him,” Brando added. Corso was eventually part of the cast, and there was no looking back for the legend since then.

August 30 is going to be a game of the big guns. The Natty defenders will clash with the projected Natty winners of the season. A spectacular Arch Manning should also be the highlight of the game. However, it will also be memorable because it will be the last time Lee Corso picks up his projected mascot headgear. Here’s to the legendary presenter, who leaves a powerful legacy behind.