Kirk Herbstreit’s dog, Ben, passes away

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ben, ESPN football analyst Kirk Herbstreit’s 10-year-old golden retriever, passed away Thursday.

Herbstreit posted on the site formerly known as Twitter that cancer had spread to Ben’s organs, and Herbstreit said they made the difficult decision to put Ben down.

Ben was often seen around the set of ESPN’s College Gameday, and then unleashed, roaming the field looking for belly rubs before games that his owner was calling. Often times, more people wanted to meet Ben, pet him and take his picture than with Herbstreit. 

Many of the home teams of games Ben attended would print him an all-access laminated media pass.

Condolences for Ben’s passing poured in from universities and fans across the country.

RIP Ben. I think everyone that follows Kirk and College Gameday had a soft spot for Ben and his story.

I’d like to think he’s pretty happy one of the last games he got to see was watching the Gamecocks lose a heartbreaker in a rowdy Willy B. pic.twitter.com/oiNq9Ej5MI

— Right Field Renegades (Klubnik’s Army) (@RfRenegades) November 7, 2024