The sports world experienced an unexpected loss this week when football analyst Kirk Herbstreit announced Thursday that his beloved dog Ben has passed away. Ben, known for escorting Herbstreit to college football and NFL games across the country, had been with Herbstreit’s family for a decade.
In a heartfelt post on social media, Herbstreit wrote that Ben, who was diagnosed with cancer in March, had died after the cancer spread to his organs.
“There was nothing more we could do – we had to let him go,” Herbstreit wrote. “I’ve had dogs all my life, but Ben was 1 to 1. He was smart, loving, gentle, patient, curious and welcoming to everyone… Tough day, but he will live on in all of us forever.”
Herbstreit had previously provided updates on Ben’s health prior to the dog’s death.
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 that the cancer had spread through Ben’s organs and there was nothing more we could do: we had to let him go. I’ve had dogs all my life, but Ben was 1 in… pic.twitter.com/jDvPTbNv2M
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 7, 2024
The golden retriever hit the road with Herbstreit in 2021, making his first appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay in November of that year. Ben was a frequent presence at the games Herbstreit attended as an ESPN college football analyst and as an NFL analyst for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football. Ben was also known to interrupt some of those broadcasts and wag his tail at Herbstreit in the announce booth.
Ben was equally loved by the teams he visited, with several teams creating credentials specifically for the golden retriever. This season, Herbstreit shared that the Miami Dolphins had graduated Ben by designating him as the “Chief Happiness Officer of Football” and that the Atlanta Falcons had designated him as a “wide retriever.”
Herbstreit revealed last fall that Ben had become an official emotional support animal (ESA).
A few hours after his first post, Herbstreit posted again, expressing his appreciation for the people who contacted him about Ben.
My phone hasn’t stopped texting and tweeting about my son Ben in the last 3 hours. I am truly overwhelmed by the number of people he touched and thank you from the bottom of my heart for sending your best wishes and letting him know how much you loved him. This is a… pic.twitter.com/oFi5CTF5iY
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 7, 2024
“My phone hasn’t stopped texting and tweeting about my son Ben in the last three hours. I’m honestly overwhelmed by how many people he’s touched,” Herbstreit wrote. “This has been a really tough day and all your touching notes and messages have really hit home. Thank you for taking the time to reach out and share such beautiful words about Ben.”
