At first glance, Deion Sanders and Lee Corso might not seem to have a whole lot in common.
Sanders, 55, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame whose brash attitude and legendary athleticism made him one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history.
Corso, 87, is a beloved longtime ESPN analyst known for donning mascot headgear to emphasize his picks on College GameDay.
Despite their age difference, Sanders and Corso actually have a lot of football in common. Sanders is in his third season coaching at Jackson State. Corso served as coach at Louisville and Indiana before a stint in the original USFL.
Dig a little deeper, and you’ll learn that both men were standout players at Florida State. Sanders was a two-time consensus All-American cornerback in the 1980s. Corso was a versatile two-way player for the Seminoles in the 1950s, earning honorable mention All-American recognition as a halfback as a senior.
With College GameDay at Jackson State on Saturday—albeit without Corso, who is ill—host Rece Davis revealed a piece of statistical symmetry between Sanders and Corso.
Sanders appeared amazed when Davis told him that he and Corso are tied for third in Florida State history with 14 career interceptions.
“You’re joking,” Sanders said on College GameDay. “Are you kidding me? … But you know what? That means they didn’t throw at me!”
Indeed, Corso intercepted 14 passes as a Seminoles defender from 1953 to ’56, and Sanders likewise recorded 14 picks as an FSU player from 1985 to ’88.
Terrell Buckley holds the FSU school record with 21 interceptions in just three seasons from 1989 to ’91. Monk Bonasorte ranks second with 15 from 1977 to ’80.
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