Kirk Herbstreit on how his friendship with Lee Corso has changed
Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso have spent almost 30 years together on the set of ESPN's flagship Saturday college football program, and in that time their relationship has changed enormously.
Speaking with The Mental Game podcast, Herbstreit recalled how at first, Corso always treated him as an equal from the start when he joined the show in 1996.
Their friendship grew stronger when Herbstreit got married and became a father.
Kirk Herbstreit opens up about his unbreakable bond with Lee Corso. ❤️ “He’s a father figure… I try to be what he was to me, I try to help him however I can.” Their friendship is the best part of @CollegeGameDay.
— Brandon Saho (@BrandonSaho) May 23, 2024
Full @KirkHerbstreit episode available now on @TheMentalGame. pic.twitter.com/Nya7xGmnJN
"We would inevitably get into conversations because he's a guy that would ask you how you're doing," Herbstreit said. "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."
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Herbstreit said his friendship went full circle when Corso had his stroke in 2009. Early on, it seemed that Corso almost looked over Herbstreit, but at that moment, Herbstreit wanted to help him.
"I tried to be what he was to me," he said. "I tried to help him wherever I can, however I can. Just because, number one, that's what a friend should do. But number two is, he's into his late 70s, into his 80s."
Herbstreit said Corso's mind remains as sharp as it always has been despite the effects of the stroke occasionally making it difficult to verbalize his views perfectly all the time.
"I think a lot of people watch him and they see him tripping on his words and they think, 'Oh that son of a b-tch, he's so old, why is he still there?'" he said. "And I'm like, 'If you only knew, his cognitive mind is as sharp as ever. He struggles sometimes getting the words out.
"We've gone from one extreme where I'm just looking up at him like, 'What do I do?' And you, becoming his equal, I guess, for many years and now just trying to help him any way I can."
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JAMES PARKS
James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.