ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit announced Thursday that his dog, Ben, whom NFL and college football fans alike have become familiar with during various appearances, died at the age of 10.
“This is really hard to write but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know,” Herbstreit wrote. “We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Ben’s organs and there was nothing left we could do-we had to let him go. I’ve had dogs my whole life but Ben was 1 on 1. He was smart-loving-gentle-patient-inquisitive-and welcoming to all.
“Always a big smile and a soft tail wag. He and I could communicate..he and I understood each other and had each other’s backs. He was with me more than anyone at home and traveling with me for work. Such an easy going companion. Hard day-but he will live within all of us forever. God please bless his majestic soul and thank you for putting him in my life for the last 10 years-a true blessing.
“Love you Ben.”
This is really hard to write but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know. We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Bens organs and there was nothing left we could do-we had to let him go. I’ve had dogs my whole life but Ben was 1 on… pic.twitter.com/jDvPTbNv2M
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 7, 2024
Herbstreit provides color commentary for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football alongside play-by-play announcer Al Michaels, and the broadcasts would often chronicle his journeys across the country with Ben.
Sometimes, Ben would even make an appearance in the announcing booth.
While Herbstreit calls NFL games on Thursday, he is still more closely associated with the college game from his years of working at ESPN as both a color commentator and one of the featured personalities on College GameDay.
As Amanda Brooks of ESPN highlighted, Ben was a cornerstone of recent College GameDay shows across various campuses:
Ben Herbstreit made his @CollegeGameDay debut on Nov. 6, 2021 & was a mainstay of the show the past 2 seasons alongside his best friend, @KirkHerbstreit. What a gift Ben gave us all! RIP sweet pup ❤️@ESPNImages lightbox of our favorite GameDay doggo: https://t.co/vbi3VKD9o0 pic.twitter.com/OZFEC5Bq2z
— Amanda Brooks (@BrooksAD) November 7, 2024
Some of the college football programs that hosted Ben also reacted to Thursday’s news:
Herbstreit revealed in September that Ben was diagnosed with leukemia in March and underwent surgery in July to remove cancerous masses on his spleen and intestine. While he said it was a “challenging offseason for Ben,” he also highlighted the “incredible recovery.”
Ben recovered enough to travel with Herbstreit to various games this season.
However, the broadcaster provided an update Monday that said Ben underwent a second chemotherapy injection in October and was “getting worse and worse” as he lost the use of his back legs and could “barely walk.”
While Ben will no longer be making appearances on football fields and inside broadcast booths, he will surely be remembered fondly by fans who grew familiar with his story in recent years.
