The handsome, well spoken guy who hosts ESPN’s College GameDay, and calls most of college football’s most important games, including the College Football Playoff National Championship game, is from the Miami Valley. Kirk Herbstreit, or, “Herbie”, was born in Centerville, and graduated from Centerville High School. As a quarterback for the Elks, he was the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. He also was a standout basketball and baseball player.Herbstreit was also the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1989 to 1993, winning letters for all four years. He once threw for a school record 271 yards in a (THE Game) game against Michigan, a record that would stand for 14 years. Herbstreit’s father, Jim Herbstreit, had been a co-captain of the 1960 Ohio State team, and was later an assistant coach at Ohio State under Woody Hayes.
When Herbstreit was named co-captain in 1992, the two became only the second father-and-son duo to have each been Ohio State captains.
Father and son.
Herbstreit met his wife Allison at Ohio State, where she was a cheerleader. They were married in 1998 and have four sons: identical twins Jake Herbstreit and Tye Herbstreit, Zak Herbstreit, and Chase Herbstreit. The Herbstreit family moved from Ohio to Nashville in 2011. Jake and Tye are pursuing their career as football players at Clemson.
Kirk Herbstreit with his wife and twin sons Jake and Tye in 2019 (Photo: Greenville News)
Kirk’s second career, and his most successful started in 1996, when he officially joined ESPN as on-air talent. He became an analyst on GameDay, which has become a sports institution. He’s also called some of the most legendary college football games of all time with his long time co-host, Chris Fowler. If he doesn’t get into the College Football Hall of Fame, he should be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
Kirk Herbstreit. Elk. Buckeye. Star. Ohioan.
