Kirk Herbstreit

Kirk Edward Herbstreit is an American college football analyst for ESPN's College GameDay. He also provides color commentary for college football games on ESPN and ABC. Herbstreit has won five Sports Emmy Awards in various categories for his television work.

Kirk works for ESPN's College GameDay, which broadcasts college football games. Before moving on to a broadcasting career, he was a quarterback for Ohio State. Though he did not get much exposure during his rookie year, he improved and became the starting quarterback for the following season.

Education and Upbringing

Kirk Herbstreit was born on August 19, 1969, in Centerville, Ohio.

Kirk grew up in a family where college football was well-loved. His father, Jim, was a college football player. His mother, Evelyn, was a homemaker. From his early childhood, Kirk was impressed by his fathers' achievements in college football.

Kirk told his father that he wanted to be successful in college football one day like his dad was. Kirk was also impressed by watching and listening to sports commentators, sports announcers, sportscasters, and analysts such as Keith Olberman, Vince McMahon, Chris Berman, Monty Hall, Al Michaels, and many others. He wanted to become a professional college football player very badly before becoming a sports commentator and analyst after his playing career was over.

Kirk's dedication to his work has made him the man he is today. He graduated from Centerville High School in Ohio. During his senior year there, he was selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year. Along with football, he was also an exceptional baseball player. After waiting for four long years, he finally got his chance to lead the team as a senior in 1992. That same year brought him much recognition and fame as he was named co-captain and was also voted the team MVP.

His 1992 season included four 200+ yard games. He held the Ohio State record for pass completions, and he completed 28 passes in a tie against the University of Michigan. The very next year, he graduated with a degree in Business Administration.

College Football Career

Kirk played the quarterback position for Ohio State University from 1989 to 1992. His college football statistics were not as satisfying as he wanted them to be. Kirk's official college football statistics as a quarterback include 2,437 passing yards, 197 completions, 349 attempts, 11 interceptions, and only five touchdowns.

During the final season of his college football career, Kirk completed 155 of 265 passes for 1,900 yards with only four touchdowns and six interceptions. Ohio State University college football officials offended Kirk Herbstreit very much when they limited Kirk's passing attempts. He felt that he could have had more success if given more chances to pass the ball.

Kirk's father was more successful than his son in college football. His father was the Ohio State's team captain from 1958 to 1960. After 1960, Kirk's father served as an assistant coach for Ohio State. Even though he never reached his father's level of success, Kirk was happy to have played at the same college as his father.

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Kirk never entered the National Football League because he wasn't a good enough prospect to get drafted. He didn't get sad because he is now a thriving sports analyst and commentator. Even though his college football career wasn't impressive, he was always appreciated by the fans of his college team.

Broadcasting Career

Kirk started his broadcasting career when he joined ESPN in 1995 as a sideline analyst and later became a part of College GameDay.

In 1996, Kirk debuted as a college football analyst and commentator alongside Chris Fowler and Lee Corso on EPSN College GameDay. He also served as an analyst for ABC'S Night Prime college football show together with Brent Musburger. Brent Musburger often refers to Kirk as "Herbie" and sometimes jokingly as Terry Gannon. Kirk discusses college football games around the United States on the College GameDay show, analyzes each team player, and predicts the winner.

Kirk also writes for ESPN's website and magazine. Kirk also wrote a column for The Sporting News magazine every week. The name of his Sporting News column was "Inside the Game with Kirk." Even though he had a lot of exposure, Kirk was most famous for his work on ESPN as a color commentator for Thursday night college football games. Since 2006, Kirk has broadcasted multiple Rose Bowls and National Championship Games.

Kirk is said to be a very energetic and honest person. He has earned a lot of respect as well as money from his career. He makes around 250 thousand dollars every year, and his net worth is estimated to be approximately $2 million. Kirk is also involved in various charities and events like the 2012 Buckeye Cruise for Cancer and Make-a-Wish foundation.

Personal Life

During high school, Kirk had an incredible career as a football player and was also a successful baseball player. He married his high school sweetheart, Alison Butler, in 1998. Alison was a cheerleader at Kirk's high school. The couple had four sons during their marriage. Jake and Tye are identical twins. Their third son Zak is two years younger than the twins, and the youngest son Chase is four years younger than Zak.

In 2007, the news of Kirk having an affair with the wife of a Columbus police officer came out in the media. Jerry Dunlaw was also a fan of Kirk and once asked Kirk to sign his wife's chest after a football game. Jerry ended up divorcing his wife Tracy on adultery because of the five-year affair she was having with Kirk. Kirk admitted he was involved with Tracy and expressed regret for his actions which affected their lives. Several reports of Kirk having another affair with Erin Andrews, but he and his wife have never publicly addressed the rumor.

Kirk and his wife Alison were trying to stay strong when the news filled up with reports of his affair with Tracy. There were rumors of the couple getting separated, but a divorce never happened. Kirk's job keeps him on the road a lot, but he always tries to find time to spend with his children and wife.

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