It was an emotional morning for the college football world, and certainly for Kirk Herbstreit.
Herbstreit sat next to Lee Corso on “College GameDay” for the last time, marking the end of a partnership that has stood for decades and become a close friendship between the two legends.
To honor Corso, who made his final headgear pick by donning Brutus Buckeye for Ohio State’s matchup vs. Texas, Herbstreit wore a lined jacket with pictures of the two of them.
The 90-year-old Corso helped turn “GameDay” into a staple with his headgear picks, and worked alongside Herbstreit on the show since the latter joined in 1996.
The whole sport seemed to stop and honor Corso on Saturday morning, with even Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” simulcasting the headgear pick from rival ESPN and its cast — which includes Tom Rinaldi and Chris Fallica, both of whom previously worked on “GameDay” — giving tribute to Corso.
The entire “GameDay” panel donned headgear imitating Corso at one point in the show, and Ohio State coach Ryan Day gifted Corso — who wore a tuxedo to the show — a commemorative helmet.
Herbstreit also gave Corso a toast last night, and put a video on his X account.
“You just lighten everybody up,” Herbstreit said. “You lifted everybody up. You’ve done that, I’m sure, as a coach, but our experience with you, for me the last 30 years, I’ve never seen you have a bad day. If you have a bad day, you never really show you’re having a bad day. You’re always positive. You’re the backbone of what this show has been about. We’re going to celebrate you the way you should be.”