“When he dies… he’d want half his ashes spread at Ohio Stadium and the other half spread at the Rose Bowl.” This fitting tribute by Gene Wojceichowski sums up just how closely Kirk Herbstreit’s legacy is tied to college football. With more than 16 Rose Bowl games already called and the broadcast booth has been named after his family. It’s a testament to Herbstreit’s incredibly enduring and momentous announcing career. However, well before Kirk Herbstreit gave us some of the iconic announcing moments, he was also a football player and was terrorizing defenses. But that experience didn’t stop him from getting battered by a 15-year-old, as Pat McAfee tells.

Herbstreit’s footballing journey began at Centerville High School, Ohio. A thing he called helped him cope through his parents’ divorce at the time. “Sports became my way of coping with my parents’ divorce. It was my escape from the pain of our family’s disintegration.” Herbstreit wrote in his book, “Out of the Pocket: Football, Fatherhood and College GameDay Saturdays.” As for his talent, being a 6’3″ and 187 lbs QB, Herbstreit set a school record, passing 317 yards as a junior in a single game, and won the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year. From there, the college football journey was easy.

Herbstreit enrolled at Ohio State University and, after seeing limited action in his initial years, had a breakout season in 1992 as a senior. He led the team to an 8-3-1 record and passed for 1,904 yards with a stellar performance against Michigan, which resulted in a 13-13 tie. However, as Herbstreit went ahead and joined broadcasting in 1995, a teenager was starting to make his mark at Herbstreit’s Centerville High School. And when the announcer visited the school for an alumni game? It was carnage.

That high school player was former Ohio State and Green Bay Packers legend A. J. Hawk, as the former linebacker described to Pat McAfee how the events transpired. “They had an alumni full-pad tackle game. You can go back to your high school, put pads on, and play against the high school team, they had a full-padded alumni 11 on 11,” recalled Pat McAfee as he asked A. J. Hawk about the whole ordeal.

“We did it, not anymore,” said A.J. Hawk about how the high school now doesn’t have those alumni games. Hawk recalled how he tackled Herbstreit in the game brutally. “He was playing quarterback, running the triple options. I was running down the line. He kept it. He didn’t hand it off or pitch it,” said Hawk. Pat McAfee interjected and asked, “How old was he, like?” A.J. Hawk replied as everyone on the Pat McAfee Show burst with laughter.

“30, something, I was 15, I believe (everyone laughs), my sophomore year, had a nice warm tackle. He claims it was like running his Temple. I don’t remember that part or not, but either way. Like, I’m playing against 30-year-old dudes. I’m trying to protect myself. All these guys played in college, too,” concluded A.J. Hawk. And Pat McAfee quickly declared, “He killed Kirk Herbstreit, Kirk Herbstreit’s last time ever putting on a helmet. Kirk Herbstreit said I never put on pads again after that.”

That tackle in high school probably didn’t do much damage to Herbstreit’s career since he had already left the football field behind and chose the press box instead. But the hilarious scenario showcases just how dedicated T.J. Hawk was, even when in his sophomore year in high school. It’s no surprise then that same dedication won Hawk the BCS, 2002 national championship with OSU, along with a 3-time All-Big Ten First Team selection. And later? The Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers. As for Herbstreit, he is setting unconventional standards now.

Kirk Herbstreit opens up about his ‘respect’ for Michigan despite being an OSU alum

Kirk Herbstreit’s bond with Ohio State goes deep, and playing for them was probably the pinnacle of his love, which he still expresses on occasion in his announcing. However, this deep bond and love for OSU was probably planned even before Kirk Herbstreit was born, since his father, Jim Herbstreit, was a co-captain for the 1960s Ohio State team and later became an assistant coach for Woody Hayes. It was a legendary era, and ‘the game’ was truly at its pinnacle. Despite that intense rivalry, his father, according to Herbstreit, had respect for Michigan.

“My wife cheered at Ohio State. My dad [Jim Herbstreit] was a captain. He coached after he played with Woody Hayes, and coached with Bo Schembechler as well. My dad taught me in a very different way than most of your Ohio State fans today. My dad taught me to respect Michigan,” recalled Michigan in a recent podcast. Of course, that ‘respect’ was due to coaching for both Woody Hayes and Bo Schembler, but it’s something that Herbstreit carries to this day.

The announcer, despite OSU being his alma mater, never shies away from calling out OSU fans when it’s required. For instance, last year, when some Ohio State fringe dent death threats were made to head coach Ryan Day, Kirk Herbstreit was the one to call it out and speak openly against it. For now, though, Herbstreit probably still is happy for OSU’s natty win, as we saw him jumping in joy in the press box when Ryan Day finally won the championship.