Carroll “Beano” Cook was a media sports legend, known as the “Cardinal of College Football,” who stayed on camera for more than a decade after most television personalities his age would have faded from sight.
Beano hailed from Boston (thus the Beano nickname) but came into his stride, professionally, as a Sports Publicist for the University of Pittsburgh. But it was Beano’s ability to pick clear winners, particularly in college football, that gained him a wider, national audience. Long before ESPN, Beano regularly appeared on TV network pre-game programs offering his expert analysis first for ABC and then for CBS. His curmudgeonly demeanor endeared him to viewers, and his accuracy caught the attention of Las Vegas oddsmakers.
Cortron Media was privileged to provide Beano his media platform for over 20 years including his weekly football season appearances on ESPN’s College Gameday, a regular weekly segment every Thursday afternoon, and, a weekly ESPN podcast. We sent a private car to retrieve him from his downtown Pittsburgh condominium and produced Beano’s appearances from our studios, via satellite, later by fiber, on ESPN. We nurtured the relationship with Beano by identifying and responding to his idiosyncracies and preferences, thus, he became a family member to us all.
In his final months, seeing Beano shuffle into the studio was disconcerting. But he always adjusted and came to life in our familiar surroundings. After exchanging pleasantries and caustic comments with our staff, Beano gladly placed himself in the national spotlight – one more time.
We were saddened at our dear friend’s passing but the memories of a long and illustrious career will always permeate our thoughts and provide us with benchmarks and goals as we reach for the stars.
Beano hailed from Boston (thus the Beano nickname) but came into his stride, professionally, as a Sports Publicist for the University of Pittsburgh. But it was Beano’s ability to pick clear winners, particularly in college football, that gained him a wider, national audience. Long before ESPN, Beano regularly appeared on TV network pre-game programs offering his expert analysis first for ABC and then for CBS. His curmudgeonly demeanor endeared him to viewers, and his accuracy caught the attention of Las Vegas oddsmakers.
Cortron Media was privileged to provide Beano his media platform for over 20 years including his weekly football season appearances on ESPN’s College Gameday, a regular weekly segment every Thursday afternoon, and, a weekly ESPN podcast. We sent a private car to retrieve him from his downtown Pittsburgh condominium and produced Beano’s appearances from our studios, via satellite, later by fiber, on ESPN. We nurtured the relationship with Beano by identifying and responding to his idiosyncracies and preferences, thus, he became a family member to us all.
In his final months, seeing Beano shuffle into the studio was disconcerting. But he always adjusted and came to life in our familiar surroundings. After exchanging pleasantries and caustic comments with our staff, Beano gladly placed himself in the national spotlight – one more time.
We were saddened at our dear friend’s passing but the memories of a long and illustrious career will always permeate our thoughts and provide us with benchmarks and goals as we reach for the stars.
Please check out our memorial productions
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Beano Cook – the ultimate professional – UNBELIEVABLE!
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