Syracuse Football: Lee Corso is one of the all-time greats. Here's why I admire him.

My two favorite sports of all time are college basketball and college football. They always have been, and they always will be.

When I was a youngster, for some reason, I loved Southern California as it pertained to college football. Of course, Syracuse, my alma mater, is my team now. But back in the day, I rooted for USC, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Trojans take on Notre Dame and others.

So when I saw earlier this week that, during the annual ESPYS program, the USC band came out to play the College GameDay song as part of a tribute to Lee Corso, it got me a little teared up.

Corso, who will turn 90 in a few weeks, has been a mainstay on ESPN's popular College GameDay show for nearly 40 years. I can't recall exactly when I started watching College GameDay (which needs to visit Syracuse football sooner rather than later), but it likely wasn't that long after Corso began doing his thing.

Lee Corso is a giant in college football broadcasting.

Earlier this spring, Corso announced his retirement, which I figured was coming, as he's dealt with some health issues in recent years. But he will do one more show, in week one when Texas travels to Ohio State in a battle of heavyweight squads.

Corso, of course, is known for his famous - and hilarious - headgear picks. He's done 430 of them to date, with one more to go. I just have so many positive memories of watching College GameDay, listening to Corso say to his colleagues, "Not so fast, my friend," and having that funny wave after he donned his headgear for that week.

But it's not merely Corso's headgear picks that intrigued me. He's extremely knowledgeable about college football, serving on College GameDay for decades and, before that, boasting a 28-year coaching career at the college and professional levels, including the top spot at Louisville and Indiana.

Yet I'll most remember Corso for College GameDay, where he helped the program win nine Sports Emmy awards in the "most outstanding studio show - weekly" category.

"Coach Corso has had an iconic run in broadcasting, and we’re all lucky to have been around to witness it. He has taught me so much throughout our time together, and he’s been like a second father to me," analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who has worked alongside Corso for 29 seasons on College GameDay, said back in April. "It has been my absolute honor to have the best seat in the house to watch Coach put on that mascot head each week."

At this week's ESPYS, ESPN paid tribute to Corso with the USC marching band playing, a video and his College GameDay colleagues on the stage with him, as reported by On3's Nick Schultz.

"My goal on TV was to bring a smile to everybody’s face. I hope I’ve done that," Corso said at the ESPYS.

Trust me, my friend. You've done that, time and time again.