Many nights it would be 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. when he returned to the site of the next morning's show with a 6 a.m. wake-up call.
"You do whatever you can when you're in a position to do that," Herbstreit said. "I'm hoping to be able to do that for Chase, too. I was able to do that with my other three boys."
Herbstreit's book describes tidbits of his personal life, which he said wasn't always easy. His parents divorced and he went to several schools before deciding on Centerville, one of the places he had called home. He briefly attended Wyoming Middle School, often attending Moeller vs. Princeton games at Galbreath Field. He considered both for high school but settled on Centerville thinking it fit his then-quiet personality.
"Through all of the moves I had made, I had at least lived in Centerville for two years," Herbstreit said. "As a shy guy, I thought maybe I would know a few people in Centerville."
There he was able to fulfill his first dream, becoming an Ohio State football player like his father. Jim Herbstreit of Reading was a Buckeye captain for Woody Hayes as a running back/defensive back in the late 1950s. Later, Jim joined the OSU staff that included Bo Schembechler before Bo departed for Miami University and later the University of Michigan. Herbstreit followed in his father's footsteps in being a Buckeye captain.
"This is not your traditional football book of playing for ol' State U and whatever else," Herbstreit said. "There's some of that but there's more of my journey in my life. I've been through some things throughout my life. I talked about some things I hadn't talked about in 40 years. Gene opened up some things that were really tough to talk about."
Kirk Herbstreit: Buckeye man, Reds fan
In and out of Cincinnati, Herbstreit developed a fondness for the Cincinnati Reds. A decent high school third baseman himself, he religiously listened to Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall on 700WLW and the "Star of the Game" show and "Extra Innings" afterward. (Minus today's streaming capabilities, if he wanted to know the Frisch's "Big Play of the Game" for the next day's contest, he had to listen to the post-game.)
In doing so, he became a junkie of the station and a fan of Bengal standout and now national broadcaster Cris Collinsworth and Sportstalk. Post-football, Herbstreit had some lucrative opportunities in pharmaceutical sales but he decided a $12,000 offer to do some radio on Columbus station WBNS and tote cumbersome equipment as the Buckeyes radio sideline reporter felt more natural.
It was on those sidelines that network talent like veteran college football sideline man Jack Arute began to steer the good-looking blonde kid to TV.
Kirk said Arute would often ask while sporting a microphone and Ray-Bans, "'Why aren't you doing TV?' He kept telling me that so I threw a tape together hoping somebody might respond to me."
After some early trials and auditions, Herbstreit impressed enough people at ESPN to become the replacement for SMU great Craig James on GameDay in 1996 when James left the network. Herbstreit joined Chris Fowler and Lee Corso on the set.
Now, he sits with Rece Davis, Michigan and NFL great Desmond Howard and the former Indiana/Louisville coach Corso, whom Kirk considers a second father.
At age 86, Corso will make his in-person return on GameDay Aug. 28. Last season, before the COVID-19 vaccination was available, he was restricted to segments at his Orlando base. With this return, Herbstreit can enjoy his private videos with the coach and the celebrated mascot choice reveal at the end of every program.
"It was the most interesting thing I did all week on social media," Herbstreit said of capturing Corso on video in the hotel hallways before games. "I would ambush him. He would have no idea when I was coming. People really, really love Lee."
Herbstreit was on hand when Corso put on his first mascot head, Brutus the Buckeye, Oct. 5, 1996. He can vouch for what anyone who has been around a mascot on a hot, sweaty day already knows. "Those things smell man," he said. "He doesn't care. He puts them on. He's the ultimate showman. There's no one who's more entertaining than Lee."
Fond of Luke Fickell
Though he admittedly has a special place in his heart for Ohio State, Herbstreit sings the praises of Luke Fickell and the Cincinnati Bearcats.
That Fickell succeeds is no surprise to Herbstreit.
"I've known Luke forever," Herbstreit said of the former Buckeye. "Not a shock at all if you knew him as a player."
And maybe Fickell will also be watching a certain St. Xavier quarterback's development.
After all, Coverdell's offense is one of the things that sold the Herbstreit family on the school
"He's essentially like watching a college offensive coordinator," Herbstreit said of Coverdell. "His schemes over the years started with (Jeff) Brohm and Louisville and what they were doing there and it's really grown. He's like a mad scientist, just constantly evolving. He's a genius."
Coming from Herbstreit, not a bad recommendation.
Kirk Herbstreit's "Out of the Pocket" is available for pre-order ahead of its Aug. 17 publication at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop and Indie Bound, among others.
