Headgear will continue to rule ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the next few years.
ESPN announced Wednesday that it had agreed to a multiyear contract extension with Lee Corso, an 81-year-old beloved football personality and star of “College GameDay.”
“Coach Corso has been the mainstay on ‘College Gameday’ since the beginning and we couldn’t imagine the show without him,” Lee Fitting, ESPN senior coordinating producer, said in a statement. “Arguably, nobody has done as much for the popularity of college football over the past 30 years than Coach Corso. His dedication, preparation and unwavering love for ‘College GameDay’ and its fans is so powerful and we are lucky to call him ours.”
Corso, who joined ESPN in 1987 and has been a part of the popular Saturday college football pregame show for the past 29 years, is most known for his headgear predictions. Before kickoff, Corso will announce his prediction of the game’s winner by putting on the head of a mascot. This year will mark a special career milestone, as he’ll make his 300th pick during Week 6 of the 2017 season, according to ESPN.
Corso, who experienced a stroke in 2009 but managed to return to the “College GameDay” set, said he’s blessed to be able to call ESPN home for the next few years.
“I reflect on my 30 years at ESPN and continue to count my blessings each time I walk on the ‘College GameDay’ set,” Corso said in a statement. “The fans keep me energized, and being surrounded by such a talented and dynamic ‘GameDay’ crew is the best medicine for this old coach.”
While Corso will stay on the ESPN ship, NFL writer and contributor John “The Professor” Clayton is leaving it.
After spending the last 23 years at ESPN, Clayton confirmed on Twitter that he is parting ways with the network.
I guess you saw the news. After 23 years I won't be contributing to ESPN. Two words. Thank you. My bosses and co-workers are the best.
— John Clayton (@JohnClaytonNFL) May 31, 2017
I can honestly say that my relationship with ESPN was the second best in my life. My marriage to my wife Pat is obviously No. 1.
— John Clayton (@JohnClaytonNFL) May 31, 2017
Clayton was known for his solid NFL reporting and starring in one of ESPN’s most historic “This is SportsCenter” commercials. In the commercial, Clayton appears to wrap up a segment on ESPN and then strips down to a cut-off T-shirt and pulls out his pony tail. He turns up his rock music and then yells, “Hey, mom I’m done with my segment.”
Despite the layoff, Clayton is not out of work. He tweeted that he’ll continue to do his daily show on 710 ESPN Seattle and fill in on Sirius radio shows.
The departure of Clayton comes in the wake of massive layoffs at ESPN. In April, the network laid off roughly 100 reporters, analysts and contributors. Among the biggest stars laid off include Marc Stein, Andrew Brandt, Jay Crawford, Jayson Stark and Sara Walsh.
