ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit was overcome after his alma mater Ohio State won the national championship.
On air after the 34-23 win by the Buckeyes over Notre Dame, the 55-year-old broadcaster attributed the need to reach for a tissue to his close ties to the team — but in a guest spot on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, Jan. 21, Herbstreit revealed that personal issues also contributed to the “perfect storm” of emotion.
“It’s been a tough year for me behind the scenes,” Herbstreit told his College GameDay colleague.
He added, “Ali, my wife, faced some stuff. My wife got diagnosed with breast cancer.”
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In addition, his son Zak, who is a senior tight end for Ohio State, was diagnosed with heart failure two years ago, Herbstreit shared.
“He had to medically retire, and I think the gratitude I have for [coach] Ryan Day putting his arms around Zak and keeping him involved,” he said.
Another personal challenge came in November when the family’s beloved golden retriever Ben, who was a sideline sidekick on GameDay, died after a battle with cancer.
“[Our family dog] Ben dies. It was just a lot of emotion, and when you do what we do, you endure. You do your job. I think what happened, when they won, I was so happy for Ryan Day and those players, from what they faced and everything they went through. It was almost like a relief, and it just got the best of me,” Herbstreit added.
On Monday, following the game, Herbstreit, who played quarterback for Ohio State in the early ’90s and whose wife Alison was a cheerleader at the university, was seemingly taken aback by the gravity of his former team’s win.
“I’m a little emotional. I’m just fired up for these guys,” Herbstreit said. “You know, when I call these games, I’m incredibly objective. I love all these Ohio State teams. But this team, because what they went through, to get to this point, you’re just happy. You’re just happy for them.”
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