Lee Corso’s Finest Penn State Moments
College GameDay is nothing without Lee Corso, his antics, and his affinity for mascot heads. Whether he’s petting a bulldog, riding a motorcycle, or dropping f-bombs on national television, “Coach” and his trademark mascot head predictions have become as synonymous with fall Saturday mornings as tailgates, shower beers, and long Waffle Shop lines.
This weekend marks the seventh time Penn State has hosted GameDay as well as the 20th time the show has taped from the site of a Penn State game — not to mention, the sixth time doing so in four years. During these broadcasts, there have been plenty of opportunities for Corso and his quirky personality to shine and make for great television.
Here’s a look back at some of his best Penn State mascot picks, commercials, and escapades…
This memorable commercial for GameDay aired nearly a decade ago, but remains some of Coach’s finest work. Dressed in a full white disco suit, Corso appears more fit for Saturday Night Fever than a Saturday morning broadcast.
Corso strutting down the steps of his trailer saying “Let’s boogie!” is everything that I’ve ever imagined him doing while making his way over to the set.
During his first trip to Happy Valley since 2009, Corso kicked off GameDay’s return in style for the 2017 show — although not nearly as much style as he rocked with those white platform shoes in that trailer. The then-82-year-old crowd-surfed through the pit of students just like the Nittany Lion does every home game.
Later on in that show, Corso pulled off a fakeout almost as convincing as Trace McSorley bluffing the handoff to Saquon Barkley and taking it himself on a draw. During the game prediction segment, Corso picked up a Michigan helmet and studied it, saying he really didn’t want to be wrong. He then tossed it across the table to resident sour boy and Michigan alumnus Desmond Howard before pulling out the Symbol of Our Best’s head.
It was the first time Corso had correctly picked the Nittany Lions since 2005.
The next year, Corso once again pulled off a legendary fake when he pulled out a Nittany Lion mask and pretended to select Penn State, but then threw it to the side, only to pull out a second Nittany Lion mask. The crowd’s deafening reaction is everything you need to know about a Penn State White Out.
Unfortunately for Penn State fans, Corso and the rest of the crew’s bold predictions failed to come to fruition as the Nittany Lions dropped a heartbreaker to Ohio State.
We think Corso has gotten this good at running these play-action mascot selections from all the practice he fits in while the rest of the crew is planning out the show.
The 1999 season opener was the first time Corso ever picked Penn State and the No. 3 Nittany Lions made good on his prediction with a 41-7 beatdown over No. 4 Arizona.
Twenty years later, and we’re glad to see Corso has upgraded from pulling mascot heads out of garbage bags — even if he tries to fake fans out legitimately every single week.
We can’t wait to see what’s in your garbage bag of tricks this week, Coach.
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