Former college football coach and ESPN analyst Lee Corso remembers Florida’s football past
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When ESPN decided to make famed Florida A&M University the first-ever HBCU to host the wildly popular “Game Day” show, it enabled flamboyant announcer Lee Corso to glance into his life’s rearview mirror at extremely important aspects of his youth several decades ago.
He was reminded of FAMU’s former dominance and for being a hotbed for professional football aspirants. Also, it was a homecoming of sorts because Corso was a former star player at cross-town school Florida State University. Around the same time, he also made a small contribution to the fight for Civil Rights, which he proudly proclaims as one of the best moments of his life.
“People don’t realize that Florida A&M had more pro prospects than Florida State when I played at Florida State,” says Corso, who heaves his words in gushes at the mob of reporters after “Game Day” went off the air. “It’s a predominantly black school, [and] it’s a wonderful school. They’ve got a great school here.”
Defying cultural morays of the time, Corso and a few valiant players from the all-white FSU developed lasting bonds with the all-black FAMU that would have been considered heresy during the insidious segregation days. It would eventually lead to one of the greatest memories of the former college coach’s life.
“I watched them for years, and I always had great respect for FAMU. There was a closeness between the two football teams, and to come back and share that with people, that’s a good feeling,” he says, his harmonious tenor soaring into the thick Florida air.
“My all-time favorite (memory) was as the assistant coach when I helped Darryl Hill at the University of Maryland. One of the most gratifying things I’ve ever done in my coaching career and even in my life (was) to bring Darryl to be the first black athlete to play in the South. That was good stuff.”
Memories of those days tug at Corso’s heart like a long-ago fling. But there’s an even greater reason Corso’s heart will always reside in Tallahassee. “My granddaughter Juliana is a freshman at Florida State. I had two sons go to Florida State, a daughter went to Florida State, my cousins went to Florida State, [and] my wife went to Florida State. You think I like that place?”–terry shropshire
