Kirk Herbstreit, Ohio State football alum, breaks down during broadcast after Buckeyes win national title

Emotions were high for everyone who had their team playing in the college football national championship on Monday night, even on the ESPN broadcast team. 

Kirk Herbstreit, who played his college football at Ohio State as a quarterback from 1989-93, could not contain his emotions after watching his Buckeyes win the school’s ninth national title, this time over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

The 34-23 victory for the Buckeyes led Herbstreit to be reflective on this resilient group that went on a dominant playoff run following a tough loss to their rival Michigan Wolverines. 

As Herbstreit was explaining overcoming adversity next to his play-by-play colleague Chris Fowler, his eyes began to well up with tears, and he could not hold them in. 

“Oh, don’t start with me, man,” Herbstreit, who grew up about an hour away from Ohio State in Centerville, told his ESPN colleague Scott Van Pelt during the postgame show. “I’m a little emotional. I’m just fired up for these guys.

“When I call these games, I’m incredibly objective. You know, I love all these Ohio State teams, but this team because of what they went through to get to this point, you’re just happy.”

OHIO STATE HOLDS OFF NOTRE DAME TO WIN COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

When the cameras cut back to the broadcast booth, Herbstreit was spotted grabbing a handkerchief off camera to wipe tears away as Fowler continued to speak. 

Fans know all too well how it feels when their favorite teams win championships, as tears sometimes flow as a result. The same goes for alumni at schools. 

Herbstreit played football for the Buckeyes after being the school’s first player to commit after the hiring of John Cooper as head coach in 1988. Herbstreit was the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Centerville High School. 

He did not get real action until his junior season, when he was used sparingly over 11 games. However, Herbstreit was the starter throughout his senior season, when he threw for 1,904 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions over 11 games. 

Additionally, while Herbstreit discussed the adversity this team went through this season, he also faced some personal adversity through a big loss in his life. 

Herbstreit’s beloved golden retriever, Ben, who was a consistent presence on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” was put down after his battle with cancer. 

“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 Ben’s organs and there was nothing left we could do – we had to let him go,” Herbstreit wrote back in November. 

On the first “College Gameday” after the difficult decision to put Ben down, Herbstreit could not even speak as emotions poured over him discussing his beloved companion. 

Ben’s brother, Peter, has been along for the ride with Herbstreit as he continues to travel the country with one of his dogs by his side. 

There have been highs and lows for Herbstreit this college football season, and it ends with tears of joy. 

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