LLee Corso was born on 7 August 1935, in Lake Mary, Florida USA, to parents Irma and Alessandro Corso, refugees from Italy during World War 1. He is a sports broadcaster and football analyst, and a former college and professional football coach. He is probably best known as a long-time analyst on ESPN’s show “College Game Day”.
So just how wealthy is Lee Corso? Sources state that Corso has acquired a net worth of over $3.5 million, as of mid-2016. His wealth has been accumulated during his career as a coach and football analyst.
Lee Corso Net Worth $3.5 Million
Corso grew up in Miami, where he attended Miami Jackson Senior High, playing at quarterback for the school team. He also excelled in baseball which led the Brooklyn Dodgers to offer him a $5,000 bonus to sign with the team as a shortstop. Corso declined the offer, and decided to enroll at Florida State University in 1953. Playing for the college team, he excelled in both offense and defense and led the Seminoles in interceptions, rushing and passing. He was honorably mentioned as an All-America in his senior year and was selected to play in the Blue-Gray All-Star game. He became a member of the FSU Hall of Fame and received the Florida State Alumni Association’s Gold Medal, the highest alumni honor. While at FSU, he also became a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. Aside from football, Corso was also an important baseball player for the college. He graduated in 1959 with a bachelor of arts degree in physical education and a master’s degree in administration and supervision, and then started to work at FSU as an assistant coach.
Under his former FSU coach Tommy Nugent, Lee then became the quarterbacks coach at the University of Maryland. In 1962 he recruited Darryl Hill, the first African-American football player in any of the southern athletic conferences. In 1966 Corso served as the US Navy team’s defensive backs coach, and then moved to the University of Louisville in 1969 to become head coach, taking the Cardinals to their first Pasadena Bowl game since 1958. Corso was appointed the head coach of Indiana University in 1973, and subsequently led the Hoosiers to their first bowl victory in 75 years, against Bringham Young Cougars in the 1979 Holiday Bowl. The Northern Illinois University Huskies appointed Corso head coach for the 1984 season, before Corso became a professional football coach, for the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League for one season in 1985. Lee Corso’s coaching career lasted 28 years, and has greatly contributed to his net worth.
In the meantime, Corso also worked on television. He was an analyst of bowl games on Mizlou from 1979 to 1982, and then on USFL games on ABC in 1983. In 1987 he became a contributor to ESPN’s three-time EmmyAward-winning show “College GameDay”, and two years later the show’s analyst. Since Corso joined the show, its following greatly improved and it became one of the best college football shows in the country. Corso’s popularity grew and he soon became a cult figure among fans, famous for his catchphrase “Not so fast, my friend!”. “College GameDay: has significantly improved his wealth.
Corso has subsequently appeared in a number video game editions of EA Sports’ NCAA Football, and also made a cameo appearance in the 2006 Nike ad.
His career has earned him a number of awards, including the US Sports Academy Ronald Reagan Media Award for making outstanding contributions to sport through several media; the National College Football Awards Association Contributions to College Football Award for his contributions to college football; and the Jake Wade Award for contributing in the media to the field of intercollegiate athletics, among many other honors. He has also been featured in various magazines.
Among other projects, Corso is Director of Business Development for Dixon Ticonderoga in Maitland, Florida, a manufacturer of writing and arts products; in 2001 he initiated an attempt to create a crayon out of soybeans.
When it comes to his personal life, Corso has been married to Betsy Corso since 1957. The couple has four children. Corso is involved in philanthropy, as the Chairman of a charity organization called Coaches Curing Kids’ Cancer, aimed at raising money for pediatric cancer research through youth sports teams.
