ESPN College GameDay is one of the most popular shows in the country during the fall. It features a great mix of analysts and characters, including Kirk Herbstreit’s dog Ben.
ESPN football analyst Kirk Herbstreit recently appeared on Audacy Sports’ “The Bret Boone Podcast” and revealed that Ben will be ready for the season after being diagnosed with leukemia.
“Ben is always ready. We’ve had a tough offseason. I haven’t really told anybody this, he got diagnosed with leukemia and most recently had to have an operation where they had to take a couple of masses,” Herbstreit shared. “They had to open him up and took out his spleen where there was a mass and then another mass on his intestine, which is a pretty big procedure when you’re ten years old.
“I didn’t know if we were going to lose him or what. He did not respond favorably the first three or four days; wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t go to the bathroom.”
Herbstreit just recently announced a new show with Ben, his golden retriever.
Fortunately, Ben’s health appears to be improving and Herbstreit hopes to have him back on the road with him this fall.
“This was just probably two-and-a-half weeks ago, and he’s slowly kind of coming out of that state and is back to taking walks and eating and wagging and starting to get back to his personality,” Herbstreit continued. “So I am praying every day for him and hoping that he’s going to be OK – first of all just to be OK and then secondly, hope to be able to take him on the road with me again this year.”
Ben won’t be joining Herbstreit for the first weekend of college football in Ireland but could join the crew soon.