Even in a sport where the seemingly innocuous can take on a life of its own, Kirk Herbstreit's dog Ben stood out.
The golden retriever and certified emotional support animal became a fixture on ESPN college football telecasts over the past two years, traveling with Herbstreit from destination to destination across the country. He would hang out on the field during warm-ups; players and fans would approach to pet him. Few non-mascot dogs have been as beloved in the sport.
On Thursday, Herbstreit broke the unfortunate news that an ailing Ben had died at the age of 10—news immediately met with an outpouring of grief across the college football world.
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
Fans were quick to post clips of some of Ben's most memorable appearances, including the many occasions where he had fun in the booth with Herbstreit and play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler.
RIP Ben – best college football boy https://t.co/bdY03S2boV pic.twitter.com/5X9zM1v3eL
Videos showed that even into old age, Ben maintained a vibrant energy.
Had the pleasure of meeting Ben back in January. RIP Ben 😢 🐕 https://t.co/NZSDLgFGyf pic.twitter.com/ax59FHnDTu
Herbstreit was right in that America loved Ben, and it was a sad day for everyone.
RIP Ben Herbstreit. The goodest of boys 😭🙏🏻😭 pic.twitter.com/912l63XrMT
Here was a dog so professional that he routinely received his own media credentials.
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
College football's glut of dogs—from famous mascots to the household pets that roam tailgates every weekend—is surely mourning an icon.
RIP Ben! The bestest of Boys!
🙏🙏🙏 https://t.co/grFhLC0PWm pic.twitter.com/Pa71K2GO3G
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Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .
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