On Saturday, the college football world said farewell to one of the most fond traditions in sports broadcasting. The legendary coach Lee Corso made his final mascot headgear pick for the massive Texas vs. Ohio State matchup ESPN College GameDay was in attendance for.
Of course, Corso selected his "first love" as he called it: Brutus the Buckeye.
"Give me my first love!"
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 30, 2025
Lee Corso's first-ever headgear pick belonged to Brutus and the Buckeyes and it's only fitting that his last one is the same ❤️ pic.twitter.com/A8Fgj8b3TR
Corso picked Ohio State on his first-ever headgear selection back in 1996 and he appropriately bookended his Gameday career with the Buckeyes on Saturday, the 46th time he had done so. They did him proud and defeated No. 1 Texas 14-7.
In another heartwarming moment, the actual Brutus delivered a special gift to Corso on the field shortly after Gameday wrapped. The university gave Corso the original Buckeye head that he wore all those years ago that kicked off one of the greatest traditions in modern college football.
Super cool: Ohio State and Brutus gave Lee Corso the original Buckeye head that he used for his first College Gameday headgear pick in 1996.
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) September 1, 2025
An appropriate send-off for a college football legend. 🔥🏈 pic.twitter.com/cuSe7bhh0A
Not so fast, my friend! Lee Corso ends College Gameday career with perfect Week 1 record
That's not where Corso's special day ended, though. As if he needed a better sendoff, all six of his GameDay picks wound up being correct. He picked No. 24 Tennessee, No. 13 South Carolina, Florida State, No. 10 Miami, No. 9 LSU and No. 3 Ohio State all to defeat their opponents.
Corso didn't miss 🐐 pic.twitter.com/vSiAGXvTI8
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 1, 2025
Coach even correctly predicted all four of the major upsets in the Top 10 over the weekend. That's mighty impressive and even brings a tear to the eye for the more sensitive fan. Even at 90 years old, Corso still knows ball.
In 29 years, Corso made 431 headgear picks. He's worn the head of 69 different mascots in that time and impressively went 17-0 when picking USC in particular. Only once did he go undefeated in an entire season: 1999.
If that all weren't enough, though, there was a final cherry on top for Corso on the day of his final show. In his career as a player and coach, the legend spent time at Florida State, Maryland, Navy, Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois. It just so happens that all of those teams won in Week 1, which has to feel like the college football universe continuing to honor Corso.
It was a bittersweet goodbye to an icon of college football but let's not cry because it's over, let's smile because it happened. Thank you, coach.