Ryan Miller hears whispers on college campuses across the country every weekend.
There’s Ben.
Is this Ben?
That’s Ben!
Miller usually stays behind the scenes, handling logistics and working with ESPN talent as a production coordinator on “College GameDay,” but Ben the golden retriever commands attention when he goes for a walk every Saturday. .
“He’s kind of become a national phenomenon at this point,” Miller said.
Ben is Ben Herbstreit, the lovable partner of Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN and Amazon Prime analyst. To people outside of college football fans, Ben may look like your average Golden Retriever, one of the most popular breeds of family pet in the United States. He turns 10 on Friday and is well groomed, his ears are flopped, his smile is always on and his wagging tail swings back and forth like a lazy but trusty sprinkler.
But since Ben began appearing regularly in Herbstreit’s social media posts as he tagged along on weekly college football pregame shows or trips to games called by Herbstreit over the past two months, he’s gained a growing following with enthusiastic fans. Hua has become a star. During a recent trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, Ben did A high-profile meeting with the University of Georgia’s mascot UgaPerhaps the country’s most famous Bulldog, and dropped by the Atlanta Convention Center to participate in “Gameday” festivities.
“The worst kick we’ve ever seen!”@PatMcAfeeShow , #collegegameday pic.twitter.com/ZeiiEJD5HG
– College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) 2 December 2023
“He’ll stop by a tailgate, and people will say, ‘Oh my God, look! It’s Ben! Ben’s here!’ The funnest thing is seeing people’s reactions, Herbstreit said.
Ben first joined Herbstreit on “College GameDay” in November 2021, when the show traveled to the University of Cincinnati for the Bearcats’ game against Tulsa. The Herbstreits live in Cincinnati, so Ben went to work with Dad that day. He first hit the road for a work trip in October, when Herbstreit took him to Seattle. Herbstreit said her family is going through some difficult times, including the hospitalization of her 20-year-old son Jack due to a heart condition. Jack, who was coming off a tough stint at Ohio State, has rejoined the team but is not practicing and said he is continuing his treatment.
Ben provided comfort to Herbstreit while he was away. The family’s other two goldens, Theo and Mitch, from the same breeder in New Jersey, remained at home.
Herbstreit said, “We happily live our lives around Ben and everything he needs.” “I report to Ben, that’s how it works. Everyone else reports to my wife and me, and we report to Ben.”
At home, that means getting up at 6:30 a.m. and making Ben and his four-legged brothers breakfast and taking them for walks. The three then relax in Herbstreit’s home office and he works until 2 pm, when Ben leaves to make sure lunch is ready.
“It’s hard not to see it in his eyes and how sweet he is,” Herbstreit said. “And he is so demanding.”
On the road, Ben is a certified emotional support animal for Herbstreit. He got his ESA license and official red vest in early November, which allows him to join Herbstreit at more places, including hotels that don’t usually allow pets.
“What I do, people just think, ‘Well, you fly privately, no problem!’ But you’re away from your family, and you’re working and you love what you do, but it’s hard. So being able to bring that was a huge thing for me,” Herbstreit said. “People They say man has a best friend, but really – as strange as it sounds – he is. He’s my boy.”
Now Ben goes everywhere. and “Where’s Ben?” It’s something Herbstreit hears often.
He gets it from his ESPN colleagues. He sees strangers asking about Ben on social media. Some of the college students who come to the set on Saturdays hold signs like, “We love you Kirk, but we love Ben more!” Or, “Kirk, can I babysit Ben?”
ask and you shall receive pic.twitter.com/uRODfU1Flj
– Jake Herbstreit (@jake_herbstreit) 2 December 2023
Ben also received an unexpected endorsement from legendary sports broadcaster Al Michaels, Herbstreit’s partner in producing NFL games for Amazon Prime, after Ben attended a production meeting with 35 people in a large hotel boardroom.
“He was not on the lease,” Herbstreit said. “We’re talking serious business, and he’s working his way around the room saying hello to people. As he got closer to Al, I could tell that Al wasn’t really looking forward to this. So I snapped my fingers to pull Ben towards me and I said, ‘I better not do this again.’
The following week, Michaels questioned Ben’s absence in a similar setting.
“I said: ‘I left him in the room. I just thought it was probably better. I didn’t want him to get in anyone’s way or hinder anyone,'” Herbstreit said. “He says: ‘No, Nonsense You have to get Ben here!”
It was clear that Ben had completely won over Michaels when late at night, after returning to his hotel after a game, Michaels asked to check on Ben. Herbstreit thought his dog would be waiting for him at the door, but when he went to his room, Ben was not there.
“He was up on the sofa in the hotel room, fast asleep. i’m talking like deep Go to sleep,” Herbstreit said. “So I go back into the hallway and say, ‘Al, you have to come over here and see this.’ He comes into the room and looks around the corner and sees Ben fast asleep on the couch. He takes out his phone, and says, ‘Oh my God, I have to videotape this!’
“I found a video of Al videotaping Ben. He thought it was the funniest thing.”
Herbstreit’s other co-workers are also attracted to Ben, and they say that Ben gives lifts all over the set.
“The general aura is more positive when Ben is there,” Miller said. “He keeps all of our personalities fresh. When we’re all missing home, it’s impossible not to smile when she’s around.”
Darren Gall, a production and talent coordinator who works with Herbstreit, said: “He lets everybody love him. He is not aggressive in any way. He welcomes everyone.”
Gaul said that Ben’s coat “Very Tender.”
This is what my life has become over the past few weeks traveling with Ben. Here we are pregame on the field of The Swamp – I’m talking @GatorsFB Head coach Billy Napier about the game and Benny taking pictures with his fans! pic.twitter.com/y2RkadxScL
– Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) 26 November 2023
According to the members of Ben’s travel group, it does not require much effort to take Ben from one place to another. He loves popcorn, long walks, and watching a little TV, but Miller says he’s “a really low-maintenance dog.”
Ben usually roams freely around stadiums, football fields and sets without a leash unless other dogs are nearby. He has mastered air travel and once shown the way to the elevator to Herbstreit’s room, travels through the hotel with ease.
“He’s become such a traveler that as soon as we get out of the car, he runs to the plane,” Herbstreit said. “I’m still holding my bag, and he’s already on the plane.”
The main thing he needs on every trip is his bed. Miller lives in Athens, Ga. Bought one from a pet store in the U.S. when “College Gameday” came up for the Ole Miss-Georgia game last month. It’s a memory foam square big enough to accommodate one or two napping babies, and it travels from campus to campus on the show’s bus. “It’s just part of the show at this point,” Miller said.
We had a great time in Dallas with a very competitive game@DallascoBoysAnd@Seahawks
Flew to Las Vegas after the game and now I’m staying for tonight@pac12Championship Game w/@OregonFootball,@UW_Football #Big Ben pic.twitter.com/xTLsq5TG0G– Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) 1 December 2023
During games, Ben usually hangs out with Miller or Gaul in a luxury bus or in makeshift offices set up on site by the production crew. Sometimes, Gaul takes Ben to the booth, such as during the Washington-Oregon State game, when Ben made a TV cameo hanging out at the feet of Herbstreit and Chris Fowler.
Once the show is over, Ben and Herbstreit catch a plane to their next destination, sometimes to another game, sometimes to return home. With the college football season over, Benn’s schedule should be easier, but fans can rest assured they’ll see him on the road, including the Patriots-Steelers game in Pittsburgh on Thursday and the Army-Navy game on Saturday in Foxboro, Mass. .
And when they’re at home, Herbstreit and Ben will soon have someone new to keep them busy. They would stop to pick up a puppy on their way back from the Army-Navy game. A rival for Herbstreit’s affection? Never.
“Ben’s going to be like: ‘What? I’ve already raised two kids and you’re asking me to raise another kid at this age? You didn’t run it by me! What are you doing to me? ?’ I think we might have had a conversation on the plane with the puppy jumping on her,” Herbstreit said.
“He’ll look at me like, ‘I thought we were boys?'”
(Top photo courtesy of Jackson Collier/University of Florida)
