(and why it’s important for your business)

When Kelly Yokely found out in April that Lee Corso’s last appearance on ESPN’s show College GameDay was going to be August 30 in Columbus, OH., her first thought went to chocolate chip cookies.

Yokely is an Auburn University alum, and when GameDay made its first appearance on the Auburn campus 21 years ago, Yokely decided to bake homemade cookies for Corso. She and her husband held up a hand-made sign that day that said, “Mr. Corso, we made you cookies.” Corso left the stage of the show, went into the crowd and accepted the cookies, giving the Yokely’s two-year old daughter a kiss on the forehead before heading back to the stage.

Eleven times over the past 21 seasons, GameDay has been at Auburn, and each time Yokely has made Corso cookies. With neither tickets to the game nor a rooting interest, she drove to Columbus from Alabama on August 30 to give Corso her homemade cookies for the 12th and final time.

It’s rare that sporting events make me emotional. Of course, I throw stuff at the television when my team fumbles in a crucial spot in the game, and I’ve been known to chant a few less than savory things when a relief pitcher surrenders a home run. But last Saturday, I had a genuine lump in my throat for a long period of time. I was sad and happy at the same time. Watching Corso’s last ever appearance on College GameDay felt like the end of an era, but I think I really felt like I was losing a long-time friend.

Corso emerged on this new show in 1987. In 1993, Corso and his show mates, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, took to the road and started the tradition of hosting GameDay on the campus of that day’s most significant game. In 1996, Corso took the show to a different level.

GameDay was in Columbus for the Ohio State-Penn State matchup. Through numerous back channels, Corso convinced the Ohio State athletic department to let him don the Brutus Buckeye mascot headgear to make his pick that day.

At the conclusion of each show, the three men make their selections for a handful of that day’s games, ending with the game at the site they are stationed. That afternoon, Corso surprised the thousands surrounding the GameDay stage as well as the millions on television by pulling Brutus Buckeye from underneath the stage and putting the headgear on his head to emphatically select Ohio State as his winner for the big game.

Corso has made 432 Headgear picks over the past 29 years. He’s worn the headgear of 69 different universities during that span. He selected Ohio State the most (45 times) followed by Alabama, LSU, Florida and Oregon. Fittingly, he selected the winning Buckeyes with his final selection on August 30. His winning percentage for his headgear picks was .666, and any Vegas oddsmaker would’ve been smart to go with Corso’s selection on any given Saturday.

Even if fans didn’t watch the entirety of GameDay, they always tuned in to the last five minutes to see the Headgear pick. Fans can feel how much Corso loves college football, and they know that his emotions are genuine. His passion and love for the game created a bond with the fans. It was like bumping into your crew at the tailgate party every Saturday.

Another oddity is Corso always had a #2 pencil in his right hand during the show and often gestured with it to make a point. He also coined a phrase when he chose to disagree with one of his colleagues about a selection they may have made or an observation. He’d shake his pencil at them and say, “Not so Fast my Friend.” And then he’d counter with a synopsis of his own. He always disagreed with a smile on his face. He never embarrassed his colleagues. He always had fun and made sure no one took things too seriously.

Two years ago, Robert Sholz became Corso’s security attaché (Corso is 90 this year and suffered a massive stroke in May of 2009). Sholz lives near Corso in Orlando and takes care of all of Corso’s travel. He orders his car service, he meets him at the airport and flies, commercial, with Corso, and then escorts Corso everywhere he goes on location. Sholz said that, off the set, Corso is exactly the person everyone thinks he is. Sholz is grateful that he and Corso will still have breakfast once a month.

Current GameDay host Reece Davis says, “Every week, Lee asks about our families. He asks for specifics. He celebrates success and moments, big and small, with all of us on set. He’s relentless in his encouragement. Lee has made it his life’s work to bring joy to others on the field and on television.”

Corso was known to frequently tell people who worked on the show, from the lowliest intern to the people producing the highlight reels in the truck, “I appreciate you.”

Why is this story important for your business? I’ve always told people that sports is a microcosm of life.

  1. Be Authentic (people can detect a phony from a mile away).
  2. Be Unique (not Different, different can be weird)
  3. Be Humble and Gracious
  4. Treat People well, regardless of which rung of the ladder they stand.
  5. Speak Your Mind, but…
  6. Don’t Embarrass the Other Guy

The executives for ESPN and Corso’s colleagues on College GameDay say that NO ONE will ever don the headgear for a prediction. Ever. Again. That’s what happens when you’re a beloved ICON.

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