Timeline of Lee Corso's coaching career: A look back at his Indiana football record and more, ahead of ESPN

If you've followed ESPN's “College GameDay” since its inception in 1987, you're probably familiar with Lee Corso, the analyst who usually has the final pick for the game featured and is a proponent of wearing either extremely large mascot heads or unique uniforms that hits his Selection.

If you're a younger viewer, say under 40, and think you know Corse: not so fast, my friends.

You may not know why the analyst panel always refers to Corso as “Coach.” Long before he became a Saturday morning fixture this fall, Corso was the head football coach at the university. Let's take a look back at Corso's coaching history before joining the cast of “College GameDay.”

MORE: Inside Lee Corso's broadcasting career

Where did Lee Corso train?

Corso was born in Illinois in 1935 but moved to Miami, Florida at the age of 10. He played baseball and football in high school and even received an offer to join the Brooklyn Dodgers after high school. He declined and chose Florida State University instead. Corso played both baseball and football for the Seminoles, but did not attempt to play professionally.

Instead, he turned his attention to coaching. He got his first opportunity the year after graduating from Florida State University and then worked his way up through various programs across the country. After a coaching career that spanned almost 30 years, Corso finally gave up his coaching career in 1985.

Timeline of Lee Corso's coaching career

Florida State, 1958

Corso played for the Seminoles from 1953 to 1957. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1957 and a master's degree in administration and supervision the following year. While pursuing his master's degree, he joined Florida State's coaching staff as a graduate assistant.

Maryland, 1959-1965

After completing his master's degree, he joined the Maryland staff. He played under Tommy Nugent at Florida State and Nugent had recently become the Terrapins' head coach. Corso spent seven seasons as quarterbacks coach for Maryland.

Navy, 1966-1968

Corso then served as Navy's defensive line coach for three years. At the time he was with the Midshipmen, he still held the record for career interceptions for the Seminoles. Corso had 14 during his time at FSU and the record was eventually broken by Monk Bonasorte.

Louisville, 1969-1972

After his time at Navy, Corso got his first chance to be a head coach. He took over from Frank Camp, who had played for five to five consecutive seasons. Corso went 5-4-1 in its first season, but an 8-3-1 record followed in 1970, including a tie in the Pasadena Bowl. This was only the second bowl game ever in which the Cardinals participated.

Indiana, 1973-1982

Corso's longest stint in his coaching career was with the Hoosiers. He had gone 9-1 with Louisville in 1972 and took over at Indiana from John Pont, who had gone 5-6 in 1972.

Corso struggled to adjust to the Hoosiers in the Big Ten. His team didn't win more than two games in a season until his fourth year in 1976. In Corso's ten-year career, Indiana recorded just two wins.

Welcome home, Coach Corso. pic.twitter.com/UkPARHd31q

— Indiana Hoosiers (@IUHoosiers) October 25, 2024

Northern Illinois, 1984

Corso wasn't coaching anywhere in 1983 and took a year off. In a strange trade, Northern Illinois coach Bill Mallory had led the Huskies to a 10-2 record in 1983 but took the head coaching job at Indiana. Corso took over for Mallory, but he struggled again and the Huskies finished the season 4-6-1.

Orlando Renegades, 1985

Corso left college sports behind and became head coach of the Orlando Renegades in 1985. This professional football team was a member of the USFL. It was a spring/summer football league, similar to the USFL/XFL revival today. It lasted three seasons from 1983 to 1985 before failing in 1986 when they decided to go head-to-head with the NFL in the fall.

The Renegades were a first USFL team based in Washington, playing as the Washington Federals. The franchise moved to Orlando for the 1985 season when Corso was head coach. He led the Renegades to a 5-13 record before the team folded from the rest of the league prior to the 1986 season.

Lee Corso's coaching record

When did Lee Corso become a broadcaster?

Corso joined ESPN in 1987 as a college football analyst. He took on his starring role when he joined the cast of the new Saturday show “College GameDay.”