In 2023, an adorable sight appeared on ESPN's college football broadcasts—a cheerful golden retriever named Ben. As analyst Kirk Herbstreit‘s emotional service animal, the pair traveled the country together, melting the hearts of those at the games and those following from home. Sadly, Ben recently passed away due to cancer complications. Tributes quickly started pouring in, with the most powerful one being a montage prepared by Herbstreit, who got choked up when it was introduced during a live broadcast.
While Herbstreit and Ben had been together for a decade, the pair only started traveling together in the last year. Ben quickly became a fan favorite for his calming and happy presence. After sharing updates about Ben's declining health, Herbstreit used social media to announce on November 7 that the dog had passed away.
Herbstreit posted his tribute to X (formerly Twitter), reflecting on his emotions during the broadcast in the caption. “I’m sorry I couldn’t properly lead to this beautiful tribute the @CollegeGameDay put together,” he wrote. In the video, the analyst's co-anchors share how special the dog was, as they comfort a crying Herbstreit.
“Dogs are known as man's best friend. But what do you call a dog who becomes a nation's best friend? You call him Ben,” Herbstreit says at the beginning of the tribute. The man shares that he first started bringing the pup on his trips to fight the loneliness of hotel rooms. “His warm presence became my anchor to home, making my journeys feel less like wandering and more like belonging,” Herbstreit said. To him, touching Ben's fur, whether at a studio or a stadium, brought him peace.
“Ben wasn’t out here to become a social media star, but he became one just by being himself,” Herbstreit continued. As a testament to Ben's charm, the analyst remembered how the Rose Bowl named him Chief Happiness Officer. “That’s exactly what he did. He made everyone happy, and he did it without even trying. He just wagged that tail or nestled up against strangers like they were family. And that’s what they became,” he said. “Ben didn't care who you were, everyone deserved his love.”
Having touched so many lives, homages to Ben continued in the form of fan art and messages, highlighting Ben's power for bringing together fans from all over the country. “Dogs’ only flaw as a species is that they don’t live long enough, but the warmth they give us that never goes away, so neither will Ben,” Herbstreit concluded the segment as he fought tears. “This man’s best friend, who became America’s best friend.”
Analyst Kirk Herbstreit recently announced the death of his dog Ben, a fan favorite since he began appearing in college football broadcasts.
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While Herbstreit and Ben had been together for a decade, the pair only started traveling together last year.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
After sharing updates about Ben's declining health, Herbstreit announced on November 7 on Instagram that the dog had passed away.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
“His warm presence became my anchor to home, making my journeys feel less like wandering and more like belonging,” Herbstreit said.
I’m sorry I couldn’t properly lead to this beautiful tribute the @CollegeGameDay put together. Really wanted to thank all of you for the avalanche of love and support you’ve shown Ben. It gives me and my family such comfort knowing how he impacted so many peoples lives around the… pic.twitter.com/1ygVve4K6V
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 9, 2024
Kirk Herbstreit: Instagram | X
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