Lee Corso has been many things — a college football coach, Burt Reynolds' college roommate and America’s favorite college football lovin’ crazy grandfather on ESPN's College GameDay, where he makes his "headgear picks" each week on location during college football Saturdays.
Corso's 38-year GameDay career full of classic moments saw its final full season in 2024, with
Below, we've also included a history of all of Corso's best moments, all-time record and more from his legendary run on College GameDay.
All-time record
Corso owns a career 286-144 all-time headgear pick record, hitting on 66% of his picks since the tradition started in 1996. He has one undefeated season to his name, going a perfect 11-0 in 1999. His worst season came a few years later in 2002, posting a 4-9 record.
| Year | Record | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 4-1 | 80% |
| 1997 | 4-4 | 50% |
| 1998 | 5-4 | 55.56% |
| 1999 | 11-0 | 100% |
| 2000 | 7-5 | 58.33% |
| 2001 | 5-6 | 45.45% |
| 2002 | 4-9 | 30.77% |
| 2003 | 12-3 | 80% |
| 2004 | 10-4 | 71.43% |
| 2005 | 11-4 | 73.33% |
| 2006 | 11-5 | 68.75% |
| 2007 | 12-4 | 75% |
| 2008 | 11-7 | 61.11% |
| 2009 | 11-5 | 68.75% |
| 2010 | 12-5 | 70.59% |
| 2011 | 13-4 | 76.47% |
| 2012 | 10-6 | 62.50% |
| 2013 | 12-6 | 66.67% |
| 2014 | 13-5 | 72.22% |
| 2015 | 6-12 | 33.33% |
| 2016 | 10-8 | 55.56% |
| 2017 | 10-7 | 58.82% |
| 2018 | 11-7 | 63.63% |
| 2019 | 14-6 | 70% |
| 2020 | 12-4 | 75% |
| 2021 | 14-5 | 73.68% |
| 2022 | 9-4 | 69.23% |
| 2023 | 11-5 | 68.75% |
| 2024 | 12-5 | 70.59% |
| 2025 | 1-0 | 100% |
Fun facts about Corso's picks:
- Ohio State is his most picked team, donning the Buckeye head gear 46 times in his career.
- He picked against Oklahoma and Georgia 22 times each, the most of any schools. He went 6-16 when picking against the Sooners and 13-9 when picking against the Bulldogs.
- He picked 69 different teams on College GameDay.
- He went 17-0 when picking Southern Cal, the best individual record for any team.
- He picked 91 SEC matchups, the most of any single conference.
The numbers behind Lee Corso's headgear picks 👀
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
Best Corso GameDay moments
Final headgear pick
Corso's picks came full circle, as he picked Ohio State on his final appearance on GameDay.
"Give me my first love!"
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
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 ❤️
First headgear pick
Throwback to Lee Corso’s very first headgear pick on College GameDay 👏
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
Corso and Katy Perry
Live alligator in Gainesville
When Coach held a live gator 😳🐊
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
His 400th pick happens this Saturday on 🏈
Madness in Norman
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
Crowd surfing in Happy Valley
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
Special delivery
📦A special delivery for Corso's Army-Navy pick 📦
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
Live duck in Eugene
Lee Corso's pick made cake a fan!
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
Corso (kind of) apologizes to UGA
Did Lee Corso's longstanding beef with Uga the dog affect his GameDay pick? 🤔
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay)
(📍 )
Compilation of his best picks
