As a kid growing up in Indiana I used to watch the weekly IU football show on channel 4 out of Bloomington. Winning football games at IU has almost always been a difficult proposition, but Lee Corso kept the job for 10 years even though he only had a few winning seasons.
Corso kept the job for so long in part because he himself shined brightly as a winner. On the weekly football show he showed up each week as the kind of person you wanted to root for and support as head ball coach. He was entertaining, held himself accountable, and was always upbeat even in the face of criticism. People liked him then, and people like Corso now at 87.
I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when he chose Cuse for his upset special. And I really enjoyed how Corso handled himself when Desmond Howard responded by saying that he had Louisville winning big. Corso stuck to his guns and simply added that winning on the road in the Dome can be tough sledding. But I really love how Corso the elder statesman by a few decades was keyed in to what was going on up on the hill while none of the others were.
After all you don't shine brightly for nearly 90 years without doing your homework. All these years later and Corso still has that same spark that he had back in the day on channel 4. Corso is a grinder with an effortless and winning smile. May we all be so fortunate.
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