Who is Lee Corso’s wife Betsy Youngblood? All about revered College GameDay analyst amid retirement announcement

After serving as a college football analyst and a sportscaster at ESPN for nearly four decades, Lee Corso decided to hang up the boots. The College GameDay analyst will do his final broadcast on Saturday, August 30. Corso thanked the network in a statement that ESPN released. He said:

“My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and College GameDay for nearly 40 years. I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.”

Lee Corso, who turns 90 in August, has been married to Betsy Youngblood for over 68 years since 1957, according to The U.S. Sun. Unlike the iconic sports broadcaster, his wife has lived a private life. Youngblood is the mother of Corso’s four children and has supported him since his college football playing days, per Essentially Sports.

Before becoming broadcaster-analyst on ESPN’s College GameDay, Lee Corso had a career as a player and a coach. He represented the Florida State Seminoles as a quarterback and a cornerback between 1953 and 1957. The former collegiate athlete turned graduate assistant coach for the Seminoles at FSU the following year.

Corso served as QB coach for the Maryland Terrapins football team between 1959 and 1965. He spent subsequent years coaching the college football teams in Navy, Louisville, Indiana, and Northern Illinois. The FSU alumnus coached the Orlando Renegades of USFL in 1985, and two years later joined ESPN.

Lee Corso spent the entirety of his sports broadcasting career on College GameDay

The 89-year-old analyst joined ESPN’s college football pre-game show in 1987 and has remained a part of it ever since. Corso has been known for his iconic headgear segment, which began in October 1996 before the Ohio State-Penn State game. Ever since, Lee has picked over 400 mascot headpieces, predicting the winning team.

The famed college football analyst and broadcaster also has a catchphrase, “Not so fast, my friend!” generally directed at his co-analyst, Kirk Herbstreit, as a part of banter. Addressing the retirement of his colleague since 1996, Herbstreit posted a video on Instagram and said:

“Coach! This is Kirk. I just want to say I love you. I thank you for so many lessons you taught me. Almost 30 years together. I have enjoyed sitting next to you, watching you do your thing."

Kirk continued:

"So much fun and so many great moments on the show, off the show. This is a celebration for everything you did for the sport, for College GameDay. You’re an icon, you're a once in a lifetime person, once in a lifetime broadcaster.”

Kirk reminisced about their friendship, on-air interactions, and headgear segments and lauded Lee Corso for having an illustrious career at ESPN. Herbstreit congratulated his colleague on getting a “well-deserved retirement,” and displayed his love for the veteran broadcaster.

Lee Corso also gave a special mention to his College GameDay buddy in his statement issued via ESPN:

“ESPN has been exceptionally generous to me, especially these past few years. They accommodated me and supported me, as did my colleagues in the early days of College GameDay. Special thanks to Kirk Herbstreit for his friendship and encouragement.”

He added:

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“And lest I forget, the fans ... truly a blessing to share this with them. ESPN gave me this wonderful opportunity and provided me the support to ensure success. I am genuinely grateful."

Lee Corso was also thanked by the NBA analyst and his other ESPN colleague, Stephen A. Smith, for entertaining everyone throughout his career.

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