“Man’s Best Friend Who Became America’s Best Friend”– Kirk Herbstreit Pens Emotional Tribute To His Beloved, College-Football-Loving Dog, Ben

College GameDay had people crying in their living rooms at 10 in the morning. Those who tuned into the Saturday morning college football centric show knew that a tribute to Kirk Herbstreit's dog Ben would be featured. It was quite the emotional week for the sports personality. His beloved, 10-year-old golden retriever passed away early on Thursday after complications with chemo treatments. Kirk has powered through as best as he could this week, still calling the Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football game, and being present for his role on College GameDay. But each time he's physically been on TV, it's been clear that he wasn't entirely there emotionally - and understandably so. Herbstreit broke down during College GameDay as he was supposed to throw it to a pre-recorded essay that he penned to honor his furry best friend. The rest of the panel filled in for him as Kirk tried to fight through tears, all while the LSU crowd surrounding the stage broke into a "We Love Ben" chant. Then ESPN pressed play on the video tribute to Ben, and every dog owner's water works started flowing: "Dogs are known as man's best friend. But what do you call a dog that becomes a nation's best friend? You call him Ben. I'll be honest with you, when I first started bringing Ben on the road, it was for me. I needed a travel companion. Hotel rooms can sometimes feel like islands of solitude, and his warm presence became my anchor to home - making my journeys feel less like wandering and more like belonging." Ben gained fame and a social media following just by accompanying Kirk Herbstreit on his journeys through work. The college football announcer went on to say that having his dog with him made the trips away from his home in Nashville, Tennessee easier and more enjoyable: "When I was working in a hotel room or a broadcast booth or on the College GameDay set, reaching down and feeling that fur at my feet, it made me feel like I was home. Ben wasn't out here to become a social media star, but he became one just by being himself. The Rose Bowl named him their 'Chief Happiness Officer,' and that's exactly what he did. He made everyone happy and he did it without even trying. He just wagged that tail or nestled up against strangers like they were family. And that's what they became." If you aren't already choking up a bit, 1) you must not be a dog owner and 2) this next part should get you. This portion of the show was obviously pre-recorded, but you could still hear the raw heartbreak that Herbstreit is currently going through. He could barely get through the last sentence of his beautiful essay honoring Ben: "On planes, in hotel lobbies, on the beach, in the mountains - it didn't matter if you were a college student, a movie star, a national championship quarterback or even a state governor. Ben didn't care who you were. Everyone deserved his love. I think we can all learn from that in a time when everything seems to be aimed at dividing us. Our love of football unites us every weekend. What I experienced with Ben was that and so much more. Dog's only flaw as a species is they don't live long enough. But the warmth they give us, that never goes away. So neither will Ben. This man's best friend who became America's best friend." https://twitter.com/KirkHerbstreit/status/1855283980276248692 R.I.P. Ben. In the grand scheme of things, dogs are only with us for a small part of our lives. But for the dog, we're their entire life. There's no doubt that Ben Herbstreit lived a full life, and got to see a lot more than the average dog. He'll be sorely missed.