Kirk Herbstreit is a color anchor for college games on ABC and ESPN. Besides, he is also a sports analyst for ESPN‘s weekly program College GameDay. Further, he is also an acclaimed writer and producer. Earlier, he was a commentator for EA Sports’ NCAA Football, an American football video game series. Kirk is a graduate of Ohio State University, where he was a starter and team co-captain as a senior quarterback. Moreover, he was a key member of the squad during his senior seasons. Likewise, he also won an Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year award. In addition, Kirk was a great baseball and basketball player during his college years.
Subsequently, Kirk joined ESPN in 1995. Thus, he became the face and voice of college football as a member of the critically lauded College GameDay show. Besides, he also went on to become the primary analyst for ESPN and ABC Sports primetime game broadcasts. He has received many Sports Emmys as an event analyst and as a studio analyst. Thus, he is also the most successful ESPN commentator in the network’s history.
Would you like to know more about the famous broadcaster? Then worry not; we are going to cover Kirk Herbstreit’s life and career in detail. Come, scroll over and read on.
Kirk Herbstreit Biography/Wiki
| Celebrated Name: | Kirk Herbstreit |
|---|---|
| Real Name/Full Name: | Kirk Herbstreit |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 52 years old |
| Birth Date: | 19 August 1969 |
| Birth Place: | Centerville, Ohio, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 1.93 m |
| Weight: | 65 kg |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse (Name): | Alison Butler (m. 1998) |
| Children: | Yes (Chase Herbstreit, Zak Herbstreit, Jake Herbstreit, Tye Herbstreit) |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): |
N/A |
| Profession: | American analyst for ESPN’s College GameDay |
| Net Worth in 2022: | $6 million |
| Last Updated: | February 2022 |
Kirk Herbstreit Birth and Family
Jim Herbstreit and Judy Herbstreit were parents to Kirk. His birth took place in Centerville, Montgomery County, Ohio on August 19, 1969.
Kirk has been a football, basketball, and baseball player since high school. Furthermore, because his father was a former footballer, he learned to enjoy and excel at the sport from him. Besides, Kirk also enjoyed watching and listening to games. Ever since, he grew a liking for sportscasters and commentators, as well as a general interest in sports.
Kirk was a quarterback for the school squad. In his senior year, he received the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year award.
Kirk Herbstreit Education
Kirk’s primary alma mater was the Centerville High School in Centerville, Ohio – a Dayton suburb. Next, he attended the Ohio State University, where he played quarterback for the college football team. He also was a standout basketball and baseball player. In 1993, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Ohio State University.
Kirk Herbstreit College Career
As said already, he played quarterback for the Ohio State University football team during his final year. Kirk pledged to the Ohio State Buckeyes after John Cooper became the team’s head coach in 1988. And yes, he became the first player to do so.
Over the next 5 years, Kirk became a 4-time letter winner. Thus, he defined himself as one of the team’s key players.
Kirk ultimately led the Buckeyes as a senior in 1992. Additionally, he patiently awaited his turn as a starter behind Greg Frey and Kent Graham. Furthermore, he served as a co-captain with linebacker Steve Tovar for the team in 1992. The same season, he received the honor of being an MVP.
Kirk passed for 1,904 yards that season. Likewise, it included 4 games of 200 yards or more. However, his squad had a fall in the Florida Citrus Bowl to the Georgia Bulldogs.
Kirk and his father, Jim, became the second father-son tandem to lead the Ohio State football team. Likewise, Jim Herbstreit was a co-captain with offensive tackle Jim Tyrer on the 1960 team. Moreover, Kirk’s father also went on to become an assistant coach at Ohio State under Woody Hayes.
Besides, Kirk also held the record for most passes completed by an Ohio State player. He had 28 passes for 271 yards in a 13-13 draw in 1992. This record lasted until Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, shattered it.
Kirk Herbstreit Post-Playing Career
Kirk became a commentator when his playing career ended. He joined the ESPN College GameDay expert panel. He would discuss and analyze college football games, highlights, and player profiles there. Likewise, his companions were Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Maria Taylor, and Lee Corso.
Subsequently, he became a co-analyst for ABC Sports’ college football primetime series with Chris Fowler. Moreover, he also received a nomination for a 1997 Sports Emmy Award for TV’s finest studio analyst.
Further, he worked for ESPN as a color commentator and sideline reporter for Thursday night games. He eventually began riffing on Saturday night college football games on ABC. Additionally, he went on to anchor a weekly college football radio show on Columbus’ 97.1 The Fan.
Moreover, Kirk also wrote a memoir – Out of the Pocket. It was a powerfully intimate, plain-spoken story about dads and sons, fortitude, and football.
Kirk Herbstreit Broadcasting Career
Kirk joined ESPN in 1996. Ever since he has risen through the ranks to become the lead anchor on ESPN’s College GameDay. He also worked as a pundit for EA Sports’ NCAA Football. However, the series was put on hiatus following NCAA Football 14.
Kirk, along with Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Wilbon, was a panelist on Who’s Now in July 2007. In addition, he also wrote a weekly column for The Sporting News during the season. The section was called Inside The Game With Kirk Herbstreit. Additionally, he writes for SportsCenter, Get Up, ESPN.com, and ESPN The Magazine on a regular basis. He is widely popular for his no-nonsense analysis and astute views.
Kirk was announced as Jon Gruden’s replacement for night one of ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage in 2018. John had left to return to the then-Oakland Raiders, now the Las Vegas Raiders. Therefore, the network acquired the rights to telecast the first 2 nights of the event. Thus, Kirk and his GameDay colleagues went ahead with ABC’s coverage of the Draft.
Nonetheless, Kirk and Chris revealed the first game of the Monday Night Football Kickoff Week double in 2020. A week later, Kirk and Rece Davis conducted a special Monday Night Football MegaCast on ESPN2 for the Saints-Raiders game. Nevertheless, this was the first-ever NFL game played in Las Vegas, on the 50th anniversary of Monday Night Football. Likewise, Kirk has also appeared on shows such as Pardon the Interruption and Mike & Mike several times.
On March 23, 2022, Herbstreit was announced as the new color commentator for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video, alongside NFL play-by-play announcer Al Michaels. That same day, Herbstreit agreed to an extension of his contract with ESPN to allow him to continue on GameDay, Saturday Night Football, and the NFL Draft, to go along with his new NFL duties for Amazon.
Kirk Herbstreit Awards
Kirk has won the Sports Emmy Award 5 times to date, for his notable work on TV. There is absolutely no doubt that this is a huge achievement in and of itself. He has won the Outstanding Studio Analyst award thrice, i.e., in 2010, 2011, and 2019. Moreover, he has 2 Outstanding Event Analyst awards under his belt, which he won in 2018 and 2020.
Kirk Herbstreit Net Worth
ESPN has extended Kirk Herbstreit’s contract until 2022, allowing him to continue his stellar career. His estimated net worth is over $5 million. In addition, he earns an annual salary of around $2 million.
Kirk is undoubtedly living up to the money he makes, given how much he travels around the US. Moreover, he also earns by commentating on GameDay games for ESPN and ABC Sports on Saturday nights.
Social Work
Therefore, Kirk actively partakes in plenty of charity causes. Some notable ones include the 2012 Buckeye Cruise for Cancer and the Make A Wish Foundation Ultimate Sports Auction.
The Kirk Herbstreit National Kickoff Classic, held in Columbus, Ohio, and Arlington, Texas, bears his name. The Kickoff Classic is an agency that picks the best high school teams from Ohio and Texas. Further, it helps them prepare against football powerhouses from across the country over Labor Day weekend. In Ohio, the games take place in Ohio Stadium. On the other hand, in Texas, the games usually take place at AT&T Stadium.
Kirk Herbstreit Wife
Nonetheless, Kirk Herbstreit met his wife Alison Butler while she was a cheerleader at Ohio State. PThey tied the knot in 1998 and now have four sons together. Firstly, they had identical twin sons, Jake and Tye in 2000. Further, they had two more sons, later on, Zak and Chase, in 2003 and 2006 respectively.
The Herbstreits subsequently relocated to Nashville from Ohio in 2011. However, they now split their time between Nashville and Cincinnati. Their youngest son, Chase, is a quarterback for St. Xavier High School, Cincinnati. On the contrary, Jake and Tye, his twin boys, were athletes at Montgomery Bell Academy. Tye is presently a walk-on for Clemson University’s football team. Likewise, Jake walked on at Clemson before moving to Ohio State as a preferred walk-on.
Kirk Herbstreit Legal Case
Kirk is also notable for a 2009 lawsuit against the IRS. His complaint was about the IRS changing an implied policy of allowing deductions for house donations to the fire department. In March, the former quarterback and ESPN analyst sued the IRS for denying him and Alison a $330K tax benefit. They had gifted their home to the Upper Arlington Fire Department.
For 2 decades, Upper Arlington residents wanting to build new homes on property where old ones stood had made donations. Besides, they also took advantage of the tax break. The firefighters used these historic houses for training and burn-down drills.
The IRS did not question any deductions until 2004, as per Columbus lawyer Terry Grady. However, 2004 was the same year in which the Herbstreits gave away their home. The IRS decision, which came after an audit, cost Kirk $134,606 in back taxes and interest. Thus,
Thus, Kirk and Alison had paid the IRS what they were owed and were then suing for their money back.
Most Common Facts About Kirk Herbstreit
Therefore, we present before you the most common searches about this football star and top sports analyst. Ahead is a compiled list of all the top facts about Kirk Herbstreit on the web.
Kirk Herbstreit Age
His age is currently 52 years.
Kirk Herbstreit Birthday
His birthday falls on August 19.
Kirk Herbstreit Full Name
Well, his actual name is Kirk Edward Herbstreit.
Kirk Herbstreit Zodiac
Leo is his sun sign.
Kirk Herbstreit Height
He is 6′ 3″ or 1.9 m tall.
Kirk Herbstreit Weight
He weighs 209 lbs or 95 kg.
Kirk Herbstreit Father
Kirk’s father was Jim Herbstreit, a captain of the 1960 Ohio State football team. It finished 7-2 and ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press poll. Jim was a running back and defensive back for Ohio State. Thus, he graduated in 1961. Moreover, Kirk has always credited his success to his father.
Nonetheless, Jim passed away in March 2016 and was 77 years old at the time of his demise. He suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in the final years of his life.
Kirk Herbstreit Wife
Well, Kirk exchanged wedding vows with Alison Butler in 1998. They met at Ohio State, where Kirk was a star soccer player and Alison was a cheerleader.
Kirk Herbstreit Sons
Kirk is a father to four sons – Jake, Tye, Zak, and Chase. The first two are twins, born in 2000. While Zak’s birth took place in 2003, Chase’s birth took place in 2006.
Kirk Herbstreit Ohio State University
Kirk attended Ohio State University for college. As a senior, he was also named Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year. After John Cooper became the head coach at Ohio State, Kirk became the first player to pledge to the Buckeyes.
Besides, he was a four-year letter winner at Ohio State as a quarterback from 1989 to 1993. Kirk has the record for pass completions in the rivalry game against Michigan at Ohio State.
Kirk Herbstreit NFL
He was a quarterback for the Ohio State football team in the NFL at the time. From 1989 to 1993, he was a player who saw action in many games during his junior season. This was before he became the starting quarterback for the entire season though.
Kirk Herbstreit NFL Stats
- Pass Completions – 155
- % of Pass Completions – 58.7%
- Pass Attempts – 264
- Passing Yards – 1904
- Passing Yards per attempt – 7.2
- Adjusted Passing Yards per attempt – 6.5
- Passing Interceptions – 6
- Passing Efficiency Rating – 119.7
- Total Plays – 339
- Total Yards – 1875