College GameDay host announces death of dog (AP) — Football analyst Kirk Herbstreit announced Thursday that his beloved dog, Ben, died at age 10. Ben was a golden retriever who gained fame for regularly accompanying Herbstreit to games and even appearing on set and the sideline. Herbstreit, who calls college football on ESPN and NFL games on Amazon Prime Video, posted on X that cancer had spread through his dog’s organs and “there was nothing left we could do — we had to let him go.” The 55-year-old former Ohio State quarterback said he’s had dogs his whole life but “Ben was 1 on 1.” Ben’s last trip to a college football game was in Bloomington, Ind. on Oct. 26 when Indiana beat Washington 31-17. Ben was part of the ESPN crew who was at IU for College GameDay’s show that morning. His friendliness and frolicking made him a favorite with players, coaches and fans, and condolences have poured in online since Herbstreit’s announcement. In fact, Herbstreit even posted later on Thursday afternoon that his “phone hasn’t stopped ringing for the last 3 hours from texts and tweets about my boy Ben. I’m truly overwhelmed by how many people he touched-and from the bottom of my heart thank you for sending your best wishes and letting me know how much you loved him.” Pat McAfee, the former Indianapolis Colts punter who co-hosts College Gameday with Herbstreit, posted on X that Ben “was a bright spot in everybody’s lives… if you met him you loved him.” BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 26: ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit walks onto the field with his dog Ben prior to a college football game between the Washington Huskies and Indiana Hoosiers on October 26, 2024 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 26: ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit walks onto the field with his dog Ben prior to a college football game between the Washington Huskies and Indiana Hoosiers on October 26, 2024 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 26: ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit walks onto the field with his dog Ben prior to a college football game between the Washington Huskies and Indiana Hoosiers on October 26, 2024 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 26: ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit walks onto the field with his dog Ben prior to a college football game between the Washington Huskies and Indiana Hoosiers on October 26, 2024 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Multiple college athletics programs have also shared their condolences on social media. Some of those programs include Oklahoma Athletics, Ohio State football, Georgia football and Texas Athletics.