The story of Lee Corso before College GameDay: Player, coach, and pioneer

As Lee Corso prepares to wrap up a brilliant career as a TV commentator, it's important to remember that his story as a player and coach is also amazing. Yes, Corso was a great player, a legendary coach, and always an innovator. His life is an American success story and a reminder of the ways that sport can enrich and embolden the human life. It's important to remember him as more than just a broadcaster.

Corso the Player

Corso was the son of Italian immigrants who moved to Miami when he was young. A significant baseball prospect who turned down the Brooklyn Dodgers, Corso instead went to Florida State University to play college football. While a Seminole, he ran in similar circles with a diverse group that included future acting superstar Burt Reynolds and college baseball coaching legend Ron Fraser,

Corso played at FSU between 1953 and 1957 and was a multi-faceted star. As a quarterback, he racked up 1,267 rushing yards, 527 passing yards, and 409 receiving yards, amassing 18 career touchdowns. He might have been even better on defense, where his 14 interceptions is still tied for the FSU career record (with Deion Sanders, of all people). He made 5-of-5 extra point attempts and had a punt return TD. It was his returning skills that likely gave birth to Corso's nickname "The Sunshine Scooter."

Corso the Coach

After his playing days, Corso became a coach. While coaching at Maryland, he helped recruit the first African-American player in the ACC. He quickly worked his way into the head coaching ranks and there, he usually served with outmanned teams batting uphill against college football's giants.

Corso had four successful seasons at Louisville, leading the program to its second-ever bowl game and then going 9-1 in 1972, leading Louisville to a top 20 postseason ranking before moving on to Indiana. One moment that sticks out in Corso's time at IU was when the Hoosiers scored early in a game with Ohio State and Corso immediately called time out and took a team photo with the scoreboard in the background. It was, Corso asserted, the first time in 25 years that Indiana had lead Ohio State. In fact, some recently assert the photo story is just that-- but it neatly summarizes Corso's personality and impact on a once-morbid program.

In a decade at Indiana, Corso led the program to a top 20 finish and Holiday Bowl appearance in 1979 and followed up with a winning mark in 1980. Corso's overall mark at Indiana was 41-68-2, but he rejuvenated a program with relatively few high marks throughout its history in the Big Ten.

Corso coached another season at Northern Illinois and then was a head coach in the short-lived USFL, a competitor with the NFL that folded after Corso's first season leading the Orlando Renegades. After a year off, Corso tried his handed at a new business in broadcasting, leading him to even more achievement and fame.