Not So Fast, My Friend: A Lee Corso Special

Lee Corso (Actor)

Born: August 07, 1935
Birthplace: Lake Mary, Florida, United States

Trivia: Roomed with actor Burt Reynolds and University of Miami baseball coach Ron Fraser while attending Florida State University. Posed for an in-game picture in front of the scoreboard with his 1976 Indiana University football team once the Hoosiers took their first lead over Ohio State in 25 years (IU eventually lost, 47-7). Led a University of Louisville team that included ESPN analyst Tom Jackson to the school's second-ever bowl game (the 1970 Pasadena Bowl, a 24-24 tie against Long Beach State). Held Florida State's all-time record for interceptions (14) until 1980. Corso's total was equaled by Deion Sanders. Secured his status at ESPN after flying to a college all-star game in Tokyo as a last-minute substitute announcer, leaving the U.S. on the same day as the game. Developed a signature gimmick on College GameDay of donning a mascot head from the school he picks to win during the predictions segment that closes the show. Serves as director of business development for pencil company Dixon Ticonderoga, helping to create a crayon made of soybeans in 2001. On GameDay, Corso likes to emphatically shake his pencil when making a point.

Rece Davis (Actor)

Born: December 14, 1965
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Trivia: Performed freelance television and radio work as an announcer and host for various Alabama outlets while still a student in Tuscaloosa. Worked in Georgia and Michigan before arriving at ESPN in 1995. Broke in at ESPN hosting shows such as RPM 2Night and NBA 2Night on ESPN2, while contributing part-time to SportsCenter. Anchors college studio shows year-round on ESPN for football (April to January) and basketball (Nov.-April), as well as the weekly College GameDay basketball road show from January to March. Added play-by-play duties for football in 2010. Coins coach-related nicknames like "Fighting Tedfords" (Cal) and "Fighting Zookers" (Illinois) for up-and-coming football teams during studio segments. Also partial to "No soup for you!" (blocked shot) and "Connectamundo!" (three-pointer) when reviewing basketball highlights. Named the Outstanding Alumnus for 2001 by the University of Alabama's School of Broadcasting Communication. Also awarded Best Sports Host in 2008 by CableFax Magazine. Serves on the advisory board for the Capital One Cup, a year-long NCAA competition to determine the most successful athletic program.

Chris Fowler (Actor)

Born: August 23, 1962
Birthplace: Colorado, United States

Trivia: Joined ESPN in 1986 as the host/reporter of Scholastic Sports America. Began work as ESPN's primary studio host for college football in 1989. Hosted the first Home Depot College Football Awards in 1993. Served as cohost at the first X-Games in 1995. Named by Sporting News as one of the Most Powerful Media Personalities in Sports, along with Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit.

Kirk Herbstreit (Actor)

Born: August 19, 1969
Birthplace: Centerville, Ohio, United States

Trivia: Named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Ohio football in the 1987-88 high-school year. Quarterbacked and co-captained the 1992 Ohio State football team, joining his father Jim (co-captain in 1960) as just the second father-son duo to captain the Buckeyes. Herbstreit led OSU to a 13-13 tie with bitter-rival Michigan, snapping a four-game losing streak in the series. Hosted a daily radio show called Herbie and Benz on radio 1460 in Columbus, as well as Wall to Wall, a weekend sports wrap-up on WBNS-TV. Has also contributed to several ESPN Radio shows. Rose quickly through the ranks at ESPN, from sideline reporter to College GameDay co-host, later adding game analyst and radio analyst to his duties. Nominated for a Sports Emmy Award in 1997, 2005 and 2006 for Outstanding Sports Personality - Studio Analyst. Cris Collinsworth was the winner each year. Appears annually as a commentator on the popular EA Sports NCAA Football video game. Created, with his father Jim, the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series, a sponsored Labor Day-weekend challenge featuring top teams from Ohio and around the country.

Desmond Howard (Actor)

Born: May 15, 1970
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Trivia: Won the 1991 Heisman Trophy while at Michigan. Selected fourth in the 1992 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. Scored the first game-winning touchdown in Jacksonville Jaguars history. Became the first special teams player to win a Super Bowl MVP, with the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. Howard ran back a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Green Bay win. Had a cameo in a 1997 episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. Selected to the Pro Bowl in 2000. Joined ESPN in 2005 as a college football analyst. Was the cover athlete for EA NCAA Football 06. Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. The former wide receiver and return specialist is in very impressive company as one of few players to win both the Heisman and Super Bowl MVP: Others include Roger Staubach, Jim Plunkett and Marcus Allen.

Pat Mcafee (Actor)

Nick Saban (Actor)

Born: October 31, 1951
Birthplace: Fairmont, West Virginia, United States

Trivia: Hails from a family of Croatian ancestry. Served as Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to 1994. Co-founded Nick's Kid's Foundation – a non-profit organization which serves Alabama and the Southeast – with his wife Terry in 1998. Led the Michigan State Spartans to a 10-2 win-loss record in 1999, its best since the 1965 NCAA season. Led the LSU Tigers to victory in the 2001 Sugar Bowl, its first in 33 years. Made a cameo appearance in the movie The Blind Side in 2009. Was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Won his sixth national title – tied for most in the Poll Era with Bear Bryant – in 2018.

Tim Brando (Actor)

Chris Fallica (Actor)

Maria Taylor (Actor)

Born: May 21, 1976
Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Drew Brees (Actor)

Born: January 15, 1979
Birthplace: Austin, Texas, United States

Trivia: Named after Dallas Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson. Named the Academic All-American Player of the Year in 2001. Was a second-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers in 2001. Is a four-time Pro Bowler, and was MVP of Super Bowl XLIV. Has a birthmark on his cheek, made famous when Oprah Winfrey thought it was lipstick and tried to rub it off when he was a guest on her show. Has done many charity projects for Hurricane Katrina recovery in New Orleans. Runs the Brees Dream Foundation offering help for children with cancer, and general care for children. Released an autobiography on July 6, 2010 entitled Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity.

Darryl Hill (Actor)

Ken Jeong (Actor)

Born: July 13, 1969
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States

Trivia: Was born in Detroit but raised in Greensboro, NC; he is the son of Korean immigrants. During high school, he played violin and was elected to the student council. Graduated at 16 and earned Greensboro's Youth of the Year award. Won the Big Easy Laff Off comedy contest in New Orleans while completing his medical residency. Made his feature-film debut as Dr. Kuni in Judd Apatow's 2007 comedy Knocked Up. His wife, Tran, is also a physician, as well as a breast-cancer survivor.

Tom Jackson (Actor)

Born: April 04, 1951
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Trivia: Played 14 years in the NFL, all with the Denver Broncos. Selected to three Pro Bowls (1977-79). Played in Super Bowls XII and XXI with the Broncos. Joined ESPN in 1987 to help launch the network's football coverage. Fellow ESPN analyst Lee Corso was his college coach at Louisville. Inducted into the Denver Ring of Fame in 1992.

Lane Kiffin (Actor)

Born: May 09, 1975
Birthplace: Bloomington, Minnesota, United States

Trivia: Worked as a receiver coach and offensive coordinator at Southern California from 2001 to 2006. Signed by Al Davis to coach the Oakland Raiders in 2007. Became the youngest head coach in the NFL's modern era at the age of 31. Became the youngest head coach in the NCAA's major football division (age 33) when he signed with the University of Tennessee in 2009. After one season, left Tennessee to take head coaching job at Southern California, in 2010. Also in 2010, he offered a USC scholarship to a 13-year-old middle-school quarterback, David Sills, from whom he received a verbal commitment...for the Class of 2015.

Carl Lewis (Actor)

Born: July 01, 1961
Birthplace: Birmingham

Andrew Luck (Actor)

Born: September 12, 1989
Birthplace: Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Trivia: As a child, lived with his family in Frankfurt, Germany, and London, England. Was a valedictorian of his high school in 2008. Started at quarterback as a red-shirt freshman at Stanford. Had a 3.48 GPA at Stanford. Was a two time Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, and a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up. Widely thought to be the top pick, he skipped the NFL Draft in 2011 to finish his degree at Stanford. A plan proposed by fans of NFL teams to lose games in order to get the chance to draft him was known as "Suck for Luck." Was the top pick overall for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012.

Steve Sarkisian (Actor)

Kirby Smart (Actor)

Dabo Swinney (Actor)

Born: November 20, 1969
Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Trivia: Whilst attending the University of Alabama, Swinney joined the Crimson Tide Football program In three seasons for Alabama, Swinney caught 7 passes for 81 yards Swinney joined Clemson in 2003 after Tommy Bowden offered him the position of wide receivers coach Swinney sat out the 2001 season as he received his contractual payments from Alabama. Swinney was appointed as interim head football coach of Clemson in 2008 after Tommy Bowden resigned six games into the season.

Mike Tirico (Actor)

Born: December 13, 1966
Birthplace: Queens, New York, United States

Trivia: Played on the golf team in high school in Queens, NY. Awarded with the first Bob Costas Scholarship at Syracuse University, given to an outstanding broadcast journalism student at the school. Stayed in Syracuse following school to work as sports director at the local CBS affiliate while also doing play-by-play for SU basketball, football, lacrosse and volleyball. Joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor in 1991, later establishing himself as a host of Monday Night Countdown during NFL season from 1993 to 2001. Suspended by ESPN for three months in 1992 for sexual harassment. Appeared in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire along with several other broadcasters, all playing themselves. Became the play-by-play voice of Monday Night Football in 2006, following the likes of Keith Jackson, Don Meredith and Frank Gifford. Displayed versatility outside the NFL in his career with ESPN and ABC, calling play-by-play for college football and basketball, NBA basketball, and the PGA Tour, while also hosting on-site coverage of U.S. Open tennis in 2009 and the World Cup in 2010.

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Wednesday, December 24 on ESPN2 ()