Lee Corso Honored by Airline Employee in Emotional Video Before Final College GameDay

One of the biggest storylines of Week 1 of the 2025 college football season is Lee Corso's sendoff after a legendary career with ESPN's College GameDay, and a Southwest Airlines employee had quite the emotional tribute for the retiring broadcaster.

As Corso was getting ready to board his flight to Columbus for the showdown between Ohio State and Texas, the employee gave an emotional speech before the crowd at the airport gave a standing ovation:

Corso, who joined ESPN in 1987 following his coaching career, has become synonymous with Saturday mornings for college football fans and has been with College GameDay since its very first episode.

The show now travels to wherever the biggest game of the week is throughout the season, and the 90-year-old famously makes his prediction by putting on the mascot head of the team he believes will win.

Between the mascot predictions, his catchphrases such as "not so fast, my friend," and the overall enthusiasm and energy he brings to the set, he will be sorely missed by those who love the sport. That general outpouring of support was on full display at the airport, and he will surely receive more of it during his final show before retirement.

ESPN announced in June that Corso's final appearance will happen on Ohio State's campus ahead of the Buckeyes' matchup against Texas.

It was an obvious choice given the magnitude of the game between two presumed national title contenders that will be facing each other in a rematch of last season's College Football Playoff semifinals, but there is also some fitting symmetry in place

After all, the first time Corso put on mascot headgear was when he chose the Buckeyes to win on their campus in 1996:

He will surely pick Ohio State again to bring his career full circle in what figures to be an emotional episode where the College GameDay crew takes plenty of trips down memory lane and becomes quite nostalgic as an era comes to a close.

And wherever he goes, Corso figures to continue receiving the same type of love and support he did in the airport after making such a memorable impact on the sport of college football.