Emotions were high for everyone who had their team playing in the College Football Playoff national championship Monday night, even on the ESPN broadcast team.
Kirk Herbstreit, who played college football at Ohio State as a quarterback from 1989 to 1993, couldn’t contain his emotions after watching his Buckeyes win the school’s ninth national title, this time over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The Buckeyes’ 34-23 victory led Herbstreit to reflect on this resilient group that made a dominant playoff run after a tough loss to the rival Michigan Wolverines.
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Kirk Herbstreit speaks to the media during the 2025 CFP National Championship Media Day at the Georgia World Congress Center, Building A. (Images by Kirby Lee-Imagn)
As Herbstreit explained how to overcome adversity with his colleague Chris Fowler, play by play, his eyes began to fill with tears and he couldn’t hold them back.
“Oh, don’t start with me, man,” Herbstreit, who grew up about an hour from Ohio State in Centerville, told his ESPN colleague Scott Van Pelt during the postgame show. “I’m kind of excited. I’m just excited for these guys.
“When I call these games, I’m incredibly objective. You know, I love all these Ohio State teams, but this team, what they went through to get to this point, you’re just happy.”
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When the cameras returned to the broadcast booth, Herbstreit was seen removing a tissue from the camera to wipe away tears as Fowler continued speaking.
Fans know all too well what it feels like when their favorite teams win championships, as tears sometimes flow as a result. The same goes for former students of schools.
Herbstreit played football for the Buckeyes after being the school’s first player to commit following the hiring of John Cooper as head coach in 1988. Herbstreit was the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year his senior year at Centerville High School.
Analyst Kirk Herbstreit throws the ball with fans on the set of ESPN’s College Game Day at the University of Texas before the Longhorns’ game against the Georgia Bulldogs in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 19, 2024. (Sara Diggins/American-Statesman/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
He didn’t see any real action until his junior season, when he was used sparingly for 11 games. However, Herbstreit was a starter during his senior season, when he threw for 1,904 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games.
Additionally, while Herbstreit talked about the adversity this team went through this season, he also faced some personal adversity due to a big loss in his life.
Herbstreit’s beloved golden retriever Ben, who was a constant presence on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” was euthanized after his battle with cancer.
“This is really hard to write, but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know. Today we found out that the cancer had spread throughout Ben’s organs and there was nothing else we could do; we had to leave him “. Let him go,” Herbstreit wrote in November.
On the first “College Game Day” after the difficult decision to euthanize Ben, Herbstreit couldn’t even speak as emotions washed over him as he talked about his beloved teammate.
Ben’s brother, Peter, has accompanied Herbstreit as he continues to travel the country with one of his dogs by his side.
ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit before the CFP National Championship college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Images by Kirby Lee-Imagn)
There have been ups and downs for Herbstreit this college football season and it ends with tears of joy.
