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Okay, this is not good. Just when you thought the season was getting better, we all got hit with heartbreaking news. Every hardcore CFB fan knows Ben, the adorable golden retriever. Ben had become an internet sensation. After watching Ben join Kirk Herbstreit for his tour of Thursday Night Football and ESPN College GameDay, everyone fell in love with him. However, people were unaware of the heartbreaker that was on the way. We got news that Ben was diagnosed with leukemia in early 2024. “I’ve had so many people asking me about Ben that I wanted to let you know Ben had a 2nd chemo injection,” Herbstreit had noted during an interview.

And if all of that wasn’t enough, now we are getting the update that Ben has now succumbed to cancer. Kristen Saban took to her Instagram story to share a picture of her and Ben with the caption, “Rest easy, good boy, Ben. Americas favorite Gameday dog.” Losing Ben when the season has hit its peak is going to make a lot of CFB fans extremely sad. However, what we can say is that the cute doggo is now in a much better spot.

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We have seen Herbstreit giving updates on Ben’s condition, and it was not looking good. Ben had lost both of his back legs after the chemo infection. “Almost like they’re paralyzed,” Kirk had mentioned. If that wasn’t bad enough, he couldn’t even eat for 3 long days.

An hour ago, Kirk took to his Instagram to share a picture of him and Ben in a golf cart. “This is really hard to write but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know,” Kirk mentioned in the caption of his post. Even Lane Kiffin‘s companion sent their well wishes out to Ben when Kirk had initially dropped the health updates.

As of the last update, it was found that the cancer had completely spread through Ben’s organs and there was nothing the doctors could do. America will truly remember Ben as a legend. At the time of his passing, Ben was only 10 years old, so to remember him for one last time, let us go back and look at all the shenanigans this cute dog has pulled on this legendary turf.

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Ben Herbstreit diaries

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With Ben's passing, how do you think his legacy will continue to inspire CFB fans?

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A whole decade. That is how long Ben has accompanied Kirk everywhere. From hosting games to on-field appearances, if there is anyone more famous than Nick Saban, it’s Ben Herbstreit. A few weeks back, we spotted Ben casually crashing a live GameDay show. This fuzzy, gentle giant strolled right inside the midfield while the show was live.

The best part is he was down for belly rubs from everyone. “He was called the Chief Happiness Officer,” Kirk had mentioned once. The sad part about the entire incident is the fact that we will never see Bevo and Uga meet and hang out together.

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If you didn’t know, Bevo is the Longhorns mascot, and Uga is the Bulldogs mascot. Back during the 2019 Sugar Bowl, both Uga and Bevo met before the Longhorns vs Dawgs showdown. When Kirk was asked if he wanted Ben to meet Uga and Bevo, the answer wasn’t exactly what people would’ve expected. “I don’t know if Ben has that lateral quickness to get out of there,” Kirk had mentioned. Regardless, Ben can finally rest easy. 

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With Ben's passing, how do you think his legacy will continue to inspire CFB fans?