# Lee Corso's 2009 Stroke Reshaped College GameDay Career

> Lee Corso returned to College GameDay after a 2009 stroke, scripting segments for 16 years.
- Title: Lee Corso's 2009 Stroke Reshaped College GameDay Career
- Summary: Lee Corso returned to College GameDay after a 2009 stroke, scripting segments for 16 years. Lee Corso's 2009 stroke forced him to script College GameDay…
- Keywords: lee corso, college game day, sports broadcasting, stroke, espn, college football, alabama, vaudeville, sports, Lee, Corso's, 2009
- Source: CFB-HQ On SI — https://si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/news/how-lee-corso-2009-stroke-changed-college-gameday-broadcasting-career
- Published: 2026-10-23T15:15:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: lee corso, college game day, sports broadcasting, stroke, espn, college football, alabama, vaudeville, sports
## Lee Corso's 2009 stroke
Lee Corso suffered a stroke on May 16, 2009, at his central florida home while walking out to get the morning newspaper.
## Partial paralysis and speech loss
The stroke left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak for about a month, but he returned to the GameDay desk that September.
## Three-month comeback goal
Corso set a goal to return to national television in three months after the stroke, starting his comeback the day after the incident.
## Therapy and recovery
Speech, physical and occupational therapy filled his summer, and he credited the deadline for pushing him through the therapy process.
## First return to GameDay
He made it back for the season-opening broadcast from Atlanta’s Centennial Park and closed it by putting on Alabama’s mascot head.

> I can’t tell you how important it was to me to get here
## Scripting routine
The stroke took away the ad-libbing that built Corso’s reputation. He typed a script for each show with an assistant’s help and spent the week memorizing it.
## Loss of spontaneity
It hurts me not to be able to communicate like I used to. I used to be pretty good at coming back, quick one-liners. I don’t have spontaneity, I can’t do that as much now.
## Doctor's warning
A doctor warned Lee he would never be the same after the stroke and suggested he adjust to his new reality.

> Lee, you’ll never be the same. You might as well adjust to how you’re going to be.
## ESPN's support
ESPN kept Corso and signed him to a multiyear contract in 2017, calling him exceptionally generous to the network.

> They could’ve dumped me. ESPN was good to keep me
## Kirk Herbstreit's role
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit became Corso’s protector on set, helping with pronunciations and steering conversations back on topic.

> The worst thing I can do is correct him a lot. So it’s a very fine line between never embarrassing him, never correcting him too much, or letting him comfortably get his words out.
## Final College GameDay show
Corso’s final show came on August 30, 2025, in Columbus before Texas at Ohio State, where he picked Ohio State.

> I’m gonna be like that guy in Vaudeville. They hook him around the neck, and they pull him off the stage as he keeps talking.
## Key takeaway

Lee Corso's 2009 stroke forced him to script College GameDay segments for 16 years before retiring in 2025.