Kirk Herbstreit He revealed the personal reason for his outpouring of emotions during the College Football Playoff National Championship broadcast.
Herbstreit (55 years old) was then seen wiping his tears Monday, January 20th match between his alma mater at Ohio State and Notre Dame, which saw the Buckeyes defeat the Fighting Irish 34-23.
“I haven't really talked about this publicly, however on“My wife has been through some stuff,” Herbstedt said on ESPN. The Pat McAfee Show On Tuesday, January 21st. “It's been a tough year for me behind the scenes. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.”
Kirk and Ali married in June 1998 and have four children: twins Ty and Jake24, Zach22 y Chasing18.
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In addition, his wife was diagnosed with Herbstreit disease Lovely golden retriever son He died of cancer In November 2024.
Alison Herbstreit and their four children
Courtesy of Kirk Herbstreit/Instagram“Ben died, it was just a lot of emotion,” Herbstreit continued. “And when you do what we do, you endure. You know, you do your job. And I think what happened — I couldn't predict it, but when they won, I was so happy for (Ohio State head coach). Ryan Day And those players I just talked about, because of what they faced and all the stuff behind the scenes. It was like, I don't know, maybe releasing all that pent-up stuff. He got the best of me.
Herbstreit's son, Zach, was a senior player on Ohio State's roster. In June 2023, Zach spent five days in the hospital due to a heart condition. Although Zach did not watch any games this season, he was a vital part of the team's daily activities.
“My son went into heart failure a couple of years ago,” Kirk told McAfee, 37. “They were talking about a heart replacement there for a while, and he had to be medically retired. I feel grateful to Ryan Day for putting his arms around Zach and keeping him involved. You know, he’s almost Like (graduate assistant) what he was doing.
Kirk Herbstreit honored his late dog, Ben, during the College GameDay broadcast on Saturday, Nov. 9, on ESPN. “Dogs are known as man's best friend, but what do you call a dog that becomes the nation's best friend? You name him Ben,” Herbstreit, 55, said in a pre-recorded video message, broadcast on Saturday.
“So there was that aspect of it, where you look down and see him wearing his shirt after, you know, he's probably faced with trading your heart for that,” Kirk added.
In the end, Kirk said the emotional moment he experienced on air “wasn't something you thought about or expected. It's like a perfect storm for me.”
After the national championship, Kirk posted a candid moment Via Instagram Between him and Zach in the bowels of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“Love you Zach! Congratulations,” Kirk wrote alongside a photo of father and son hugging. “What a special night!”
