ESPN College GameDay Crew Pleased To Bring Lee Corso Back Home To Indiana

Rece Davis and ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin spoke about their appreciation for Lee Corso.

College GameDay was on campus at the University of Alabama for the matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas Longhorns Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. Rece Davis and Lee Corso prepare on set for the show. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis knows that Indiana’s football team, with its 7-0 record, has paved the way for the iconic show to be in Bloomington on Saturday.

Davis is also fully aware that part of the allure of having College GameDay at Memorial Stadium is to give one-time Indiana coach and College GameDay icon Lee Corso the chance to come back to one of the places where he made his name.

Corso will be part of the GameDay show, which will be broadcast starting at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN and ESPNU.

Davis has worked with Corso on the show since 2015. He’s heard the stories of Corso’s coaching days. He’s lived the stories since then as part of the GameDay road show each Saturday.

“The old stories about the different things that happened in the game, some of them that have become legend that, you know, might have a hit of fiction in the middle,” Davis told the media on Friday at Memorial Stadium. “But as he once said, ‘You know, don't, don't let the truth get in the way of a really good story.’”

Davis said Corso will naturally figure prominently in the show on Saturday. Davis said fans should not miss the opening to the show.

“I love, love, love the old stories and the way we're going to open the show tomorrow, I think, is going to be special. And I think people are going to, I'm not going to give it away, but I think people will enjoy it. Both people who come to the show, the people who are watching on TV,” Davis said.

Corso was not made available to the media, but it will be a special day for him in more than just the sense of returning home. His 8-4 Holiday Bowl-winning 1979 team is on-hand for the game. That’s a gathering that would have already been an emotional one, but given the death of quarterback Tim Clifford on Wednesday, it will be even more so.

Davis noted that it’s a chance for Indiana to pay tribute to a man who has become far more famous as a TV personality than he was as a coach. Davis said Corso revolutionized the way TV viewers consume college football.

“He's the one who, back in the day, really embraced and personified the idea that he always reminds us of, even to this day, it's entertainment sweetheart. Football is our vehicle,” Davis said.

“He always says that he embraced that early on, and because of that, he's one of the most, if not the most, important figure in college football television history, because he changed the way pre-game shows were broadcast,” Davis noted.

“It wasn't just, ‘Well, we're going to see if we can block the three technique.' That’s great. It's important. But it wasn't just that,” Davis continued. “And he was a guy who was among the first to say exactly what he thought and not worry about it. Forget about it, you know, the whole thing.”

Davis relayed the story of when Corso was passed among the crowd at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium to start a broadcast. Both ESPN and stadium security had concerns given Corso’s age, but Corso wasn’t having it.

“I said, ‘LC, Hey man, security's worried about this. Just forget about surfing the crowd, just come on up to the set,’” Davis said. “He said, ‘Hell No, sweetheart, we're doing it right.’ Then he did,” Davis said.

“Stanford Steve” Coughlin, another College GameDay personality, said Corso still keeps up with the Hoosiers and is thrilled by their recent success.

“You know, he's still not picking Purdue any week of the season. So he loves that, seeing them down and Indiana up,” Coughlin said. “He's trying to take it in stride. But yeah, he's, he's super jazzed up that the Hoosiers are playing well.”

Related stories on Indiana football

• HOW TO WATCH: Everything you need to know on how to watch Indiana's game against Washington on Saturday. CLICK HERE.

• TIM CLIFFORD DIES AT 65: Indiana's 1979 quarterback, Tim Clifford, died on Wednesday due to heart complications. CLICK HERE.

• CIGNETTI TALKS GAMEDAY ON RADIO SHOW: Curt Cignetti spoke about ESPN College GameDay's appearance on his Thursday radio show. CLICK HERE.

• GAMES TO WATCH THAT IMPACT INDIANA THIS WEEKEND: Your guide to the involving teams that are around Indiana in the Big Ten race and the top 25. CLICK HERE.

• PREDICTION, 3 KEYS: Hoosiers On SI makes its prognostications for Saturday's game against Washington. CLICK HERE.

• MEET THE OPPONENT: Washington will be a challenge for Indiana on Saturday. CLICK HERE.

• TODD'S TAKE ON CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT: It’s popular to complain about traditions lost, but what was gained by accident is a system that creates a more compelling conference race. CLICK HERE

• CIGNETTI, CORSO HAVE CROSSED PATHS: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti and former Indiana coach and ESPN analyst Lee Corso have have contact with one another over the years. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT CIGNETTI SAID: Read all of Curt Cignetti's comments from his Washington game week press conference. CLICK HERE.

• GAMEDAY IS COMING TO BLOOMINGTON: ESPN announced on Sunday morning that its College GameDay program will be at Indiana next Saturday. CLICK HERE.