It was a day that Kirk Herbstreit will never forget. “We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Ben’s organs and there was nothing left we could do—we had to let him go,” he wrote on X one year ago. The words came from a man who’d called hundreds of games, narrated countless comeback stories, and seen champions rise from the ashes. But this was one battle even his golden retriever couldn’t win.

Now, one year later, Kirk Herbstreit is still on the move, calling Thursday Night Football in Denver, then heading to Lubbock for ESPN College GameDay’s Week 11 stop featuring No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 7 BYU. The travel schedule hasn’t changed. The routine hasn’t changed. Only the seat beside him has. Ben’s brother, Peter, rides along these days, filling the silence but never replacing it. On November 7, an emotional Herbstreit once again posted on X. “It was one year ago today that we had to let Ben go. 🙏🏼” he wrote and added a picture of him staring far out at the line where the sky meets the sea. “This was one of his last trips with me last year-a Thursday Night game in Miami. We love you and miss you Ben!” He was the nation’s best friend. 

Ben Herbstreit fought like a warrior. Earlier that year, the 10-year-old golden was diagnosed with leukemia. Chemotherapy, major surgery, months of worry. Kirk Herbstreit and his family did everything they could. By September, Ben was somehow bouncing back. “Incredible recovery,” his dad shared proudly, thrilled to have his co-pilot back on the road. The two were back traveling with College GameDay and Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football. For a moment, it looked like they’d beaten the odds.

Then came that November morning with the dreaded update. The cancer had spread. “I’ve had dogs my whole life but Ben was 1 on 1,” Kirk Herbstreit wrote last year. “He was with me more than anyone at home and traveling with me for work. Such an easygoing companion. Hard day-but he will love within all of us forever.” The post went viral because everyone knew how real it was. College football fans had seen Ben beside Kirk for years, wagging through tailgates, lounging behind the GameDay desk, and stealing hearts with his calm, golden grin. 

Ben was part of the crew, a silent star in America’s loudest Saturday tradition. He’d traveled everywhere with Kirk Herbstreit, from Thursday night NFL games to ABC’s primetime showcases, earning titles like “Chief Happiness Officer of Football” and “Treat Analyst.” Players, coaches, and fans all knew him. You could almost feel the energy shift every time he trotted onto the set. But while Kirk mourned with memory, another sports icon turned to science.

Tom Brady’s cloned dog has fans thinking of Kirk Herbstreit

NFL GOAT Tom Brady stunned fans by revealing his new dog is actually a clone of his late pet, Lua, who died in December 2023. Working with Colossal Biosciences, a biotech firm he invests in, the 6x SB champ used preserved blood to bring Lua back. “Tom Brady revealed that his current dog Junie is a clone of his late dog Lua,” Bleacher Report posted on X. The internet had takes with some fans hoping Kirk Herbstreit doesn’t see this to avoid temptation. But it hit close to home for anyone who followed Ben’s story. 

Cloning pets may sound like science fiction, but for people who’ve lost their best friend, the idea feels dangerously human. Still, for Kirk Herbstreit, some bonds are too sacred to recreate. Because when a dog like Ben walks beside you through stadium tunnels and long nights, you don’t try to bring him back, you carry him forward.