Ryan Miller hears the whispers every weekend on school campuses throughout the nation.
There’s Ben.
Is it Ben?
That’s Ben!
Miller is often behind the scenes, dealing with logistics and dealing with ESPN expertise as a manufacturing coordinator on “College GameDay,” however Ben the golden retriever attracts consideration once they go for walks each Saturday.
“He’s kind of become a national phenomenon at this point,” Miller mentioned.
Ben is Ben Herbstreit, the furry companion of Kirk Herbstreit, the ESPN and Amazon Prime analyst. To these exterior of school soccer fandom, Ben could appear like your common golden retriever, one of the preferred breeds of household pets within the United States. He turns 10 on Friday and is well-groomed, with floppy ears, a perpetual smile and a wagging tail that sweeps backwards and forwards like a lazy however dependable sprinkler.
But since Ben began usually exhibiting up in Herbstreit’s social media posts as he tagged alongside on journeys over the previous two months for the weekly school soccer pregame present or video games Herbstreit is asking, he’s grow to be a budding star with enthusiastic followers. During a current journey to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, Ben had a high-profile meet-up with University of Georgia mascot Uga, maybe probably the most well-known bulldog within the nation, and dropped by the Atlanta conference middle to participate within the “GameDay” festivities.
“THE WORST KICK WE HAVE EVER SEEN!” 😭@PatMcAfeeShow | #CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/ZeiiEJD5HG
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 2, 2023
“He’ll stop by a tailgate, and people are like, ‘Oh, my God, look! It’s Ben! Ben’s here!’ It’s the funniest thing to see the reaction from people,” Herbstreit mentioned.
Ben first joined Herbstreit at “College GameDay” in November 2021, when the present traveled to the University of Cincinnati for the Bearcats’ recreation towards Tulsa. The Herbstreits reside in Cincinnati, so Ben went to work with Dad that day. He first hit the highway for a piece journey in October, when Herbstreit took him to Seattle. Herbstreit mentioned his household had been going by means of some tough instances, together with the hospitalization of his 20-year-old son, Zak, attributable to a coronary heart situation. Zak, a good finish at Ohio State, has rejoined the crew however isn’t practising and has mentioned he continues to obtain therapy.
Ben offered Herbstreit consolation whereas he was away. The household’s different two goldens, Theo and Mitch, from the identical breeder in New Jersey, stayed dwelling.
“We happily accommodate our lives around Ben and whatever it is he needs,” Herbstreit mentioned. “I report to Ben, is kind of how it works. Everyone else reports to my wife and I, and we report to Ben.”
At dwelling, meaning waking up at 6:30 a.m. to serve Ben and his four-legged brothers breakfast and take them for a stroll. The trio then lounges in Herbstreit’s dwelling workplace whereas he works till 2 p.m. “on the dot,” when Ben leaves to ensure lunch is prepared.
“It’s hard not to give in to him with his eyes and how cute he is,” Herbstreit mentioned. “And how demanding he is.”
On the highway, Ben is an authorized emotional assist animal for Herbstreit. He received his ESA license and official crimson vest in early November, which permits him to hitch Herbstreit in additional locations, together with resorts that will not sometimes allow pets.
“What I do, people just think, ‘Well, you fly private, no problem!’ But you’re away from your family, and you’re working and you’re loving what you do, but it’s tough. So to be able to bring him was huge for me,” Herbstreit mentioned. “People say man’s best friend, but truly — it sounds weird — he is. He’s my guy.”
Kirk Herbstreit went by means of the method to certify Ben as a emotional assist animal. (Courtesy of Ryan Miller)
Now Ben goes all over the place. And “Where’s Ben?” is one thing Herbstreit hears typically.
He will get it from his ESPN co-workers. He sees strangers asking about Ben on social media. Some of the school college students who flock to the set on Saturdays maintain up indicators like, “We love you Kirk, but we love Ben more!” or, “Kirk, can I pet Ben?”
Ask and also you shall recieve pic.twitter.com/uRODfU1Flj
— Jake Herbstreit (@jake_herbstreit) December 2, 2023
An endorsement even got here in an sudden approach from legendary sports activities broadcaster Al Michaels, Herbstreit’s companion on NFL video games for Amazon Prime, after Ben attended a manufacturing assembly with 35 folks in a big resort boardroom.
“He wasn’t on a leash,” Herbstreit mentioned. “We’re talking serious business, and he’s kind of working his way around the room saying hi to people. When he got near Al, I could kind of tell Al wasn’t really keen on that. So I snapped my fingers to get Ben over towards me, and I was like, ‘I better not do that anymore.’”
The subsequent week, Michaels questioned Ben’s absence in an analogous setting.
“I said: ‘I left him up in the room. I just thought it was maybe better. I didn’t want him to interrupt or get in anyone’s way,’” Herbstreit mentioned. “He goes: ‘No, nonsense! You gotta bring Ben down here!’”
It was evident Ben had absolutely received over Michaels when late one evening, after returning to their resort following a recreation, Michaels wished to verify in on Ben. Herbstreit assumed his canine could be ready for him on the door, however when he walked into his room, Ben wasn’t there.
“He had gotten up on the couch in the hotel room, and he was sound asleep. I’m talking like deep sleep,” Herbstreit mentioned. “So I go back out into the hallway and I go, ‘Al, you gotta come in here and see this.’ He came into the room and looked around the corner and saw Ben on the couch sound asleep. He pulls his phone out, and he’s like, ‘Oh, my God, I gotta videotape this!’
“I get a video of Al videotaping Ben. He thought it was the funniest thing.”
Herbstreit’s different colleagues are drawn to Ben, too, and so they say Ben provides a elevate everywhere in the set.
“The general aura is much more positive when Ben’s there,” Miller mentioned. “He keeps all of our personalities fresh. When we’re all missing home, it’s kind of impossible to not smile when he’s around.”
Darren Gaul, a manufacturing and expertise coordinator who works with Herbstreit, mentioned: “He lets everyone pet him. He’s not aggressive in any way. He welcomes everyone.”
Gaul added that Ben’s coat is “very soft.”
This is what my life has grow to be the previous couple of weeks touring with Ben. Here we’re pregame on the sector at The Swamp-I’m talkin with @GatorsFB Head Coach Billy Napier concerning the recreation and there’s Benny taking pictures together with his followers! 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/y2RkadxScL
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 26, 2023
Getting Ben from place to position doesn’t require a lot effort, in keeping with the members of his journey squad. He loves popcorn, lengthy walks and watching a bit of TV, however Miller says he’s “really a low-maintenance dog.”
Ben often walks freely with no leash round stadiums, soccer fields and units except different canine are close to. He’s mastered air journey and navigates resorts with ease as soon as he’s been proven the trail from the elevator to Herbstreit’s room.
“He’s become such a traveler that as soon as we get out of a car, he sprints to the plane,” Herbstreit mentioned. “I’m still grabbing my bags, and he’s already on the plane.”
The principal factor he wants on every journey is his mattress. Miller purchased one at a pet retailer in Athens, Ga., when “College GameDay” visited for an Ole Miss-Georgia recreation final month. It’s a reminiscence foam sq. that’s so giant it might accommodate a napping toddler or two, and it travels from campus to campus on the present’s bus. “It’s just part of the show at this point,” Miller mentioned.
We had a good time in Dallas calling a really aggressive recreation with the @dallascowboys & the @Seahawks
Flew after the sport to Las Vegas & now getting locked in for tonight’s @pac12 championship recreation w/ @oregonfootball & @UW_Football #BigBen pic.twitter.com/xTLsq5TG0G— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) December 1, 2023
During video games, Ben often hangs out with Miller or Gaul on one of the luxe buses or within the makeshift places of work the manufacturing crew units up on website. Sometimes, Gaul will take Ben as much as the sales space, like throughout the Washington-Oregon State recreation, when Ben made a TV cameo whereas hanging out on the toes of Herbstreit and Chris Fowler.
Once the present is over, Ben and Herbstreit catch a aircraft to their subsequent vacation spot, typically one other recreation, typically again dwelling. With the school soccer season winding down, Ben’s schedule ought to ease, however followers can relaxation assured they’ll possible see him on the highway, together with the Patriots-Steelers recreation Thursday in Pittsburgh and the Army–Navy recreation Saturday in Foxboro, Mass.
And once they’re at dwelling, Herbstreit and Ben will quickly have somebody new to maintain them busy. They’ll make a cease on the way in which again from the Army-Navy recreation to select up a pet. A rival for Herbstreit’s affection? Never.
“Ben’s going to be like: ‘What? I’ve already raised two and you’re asking me at my age to raise another one? You did not run this by me! What’re you doing to me?’ I think that might be our conversation as the puppy’s jumping on top of him on the plane,” Herbstreit mentioned.
“He’s going to look at me like, ‘I thought we were boys?’”
(Top picture courtesy of Jackson Collier/ University of Florida)
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