Lee Corso

Born in Lake Mary, Fla., Leland Corso was the son of immigrants who fled Italy during World War I. In high school he excelled in football and baseball, and he was even offered a bonus to sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He opted for college instead, and he played football for Florida State University, where his speed on the field earned him the nickname "Sunshine Scooter." While at the school he roomed with future actor Burt Reynolds and future college baseball coach Ron Fraser. After earning bachelor's and master's degrees from FSU he moved into college football coaching, beginning at the University of Maryland, with stops at Navy, Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois University. He jumped to professional football with a coaching stint for the United States Football League's Orlando Renegades in 1985, though the league folded after that one season. In 1987 he began a tenure at ESPN as an analyst for the Saturday "College GameDay" show, best known, perhaps, for his habit of predicting the game's winner by donning the headgear of the team's mascot at the close of the show. Corso has also dipped his toe into the waters of the entertainment world, playing himself in the 1998 film "The Waterboy," as well as in an episode of the 1989 ABC series "B.L. Stryker." Married to wife Betsy since 1957, the couple have four children and 10 grandchildren.