2 Years After Shocking ESPN Exit, David Pollack Shares Rare Lee Corso Story to Honor Retiring 89-YO Legend

Come fall, one of the greatest of the greats in CFB media will finally rest his mic after 38 years. Lee Corso will be retiring later on in the year, by which time he’ll be 90. His resume shows how much he loved the sport, as he pulls through the stretch of however much his body allows him to do. From his mascot-head predictions to his calling everyone ‘sweetheart,’ we’ll all miss the legendary broadcaster terribly. As are some former broadcasters of College GameDay.

David Pollack was part of the show for just one year. Regardless of the amount of time you spend with Corso, he’s going to leave a lasting impression right from the get-go. He recalled some incidents during his time with the veteran broadcaster on his show. He tried to mimic Corso, saying, “It’s entertainment, sweetheart,” when it came to presenting stats in a fun and impacting manner. “Everybody’s got access to those things [stats],” Pollack said. “Like, make it fun, man.”

He recalled an interesting story about Corso from his CFB coaching days. This was about an Indiana vs OSU game. “They score first against Ohio State,” [Corso] calls a timeout, brings his whole team onto the field. Whole team, in front of the scoreboard, gets the photographer and takes a picture with Indiana beating Ohio State,” Pollack said, laughing with co-host Brent Rollins. He then proceeded to call Corso “one of the coolest” figures in CFB there was. Pollack said that he’d be on edge until the chosen headgear of the day arrived on set, and would hoard all the snacks by the time work ended.

Pollack also noted that Corso came to work even after he battled “several” strokes. The one in 2009 took a toll on his cognitive function, resulting in a slowdown. He recovered quickly, but lost his ability to ad lib. And yet, the man continued to show up for college football fans and lovers. This shows how dedicated Corso was to the sport until the very end. But he also made some great friends along the way, like Kirk Herbstreit. Pollack, too, shared an experience with Corso that happened when the former was fired by ESPN.

Lee Corso sent support to David Pollack when he got fired

Unlike the backgrounds of personnel firings in CFB, Pollack was not part of a major controversy. He was let of by ESPN simply due to budget cuts. Parent company Disney was in a cost-cutting spree, and also fired other sports media talent like Jeff Van Gundy, Jalen Rose, and Suzy Kolber. Many, many names were let go of because of this move.

Pollack recalls that Corso reached out to him soon after he received the news. “When I got fired, immediately, coach Corso [said], ‘I don’t know what they’re doing.’ Like calls me immediately,” the analyst recounted. He was one of the greatest there ever will be on that camera, and also an amazing human being in general.

Lee Corso will take the stage one last time on August 30, before signing off. “I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories, and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement,” he said in an ESPN statement. David Pollack will be one of them, as he heads to a time of relaxation after a brilliant and legendary career in gridiron football.

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