Brad H | 8.25.2024
When Kirk Herbstreit’s book ‘Out of the Pocket’ came out back in 2021 I thought to myself, ‘why is Herbie writing a book? He’ll be doing this for another 20 years at least!’ Then I remembered, ‘oh yeah, he’s already been doing this for some 20 odd years.’ (it’s actually 29 years this season). In any event, I really enjoyed reading his book. It wasn’t just a bunch of anecdotes like a lot of these kinds of biographies end up being. Instead it was a linear progression and you really get a sense of who Herbstreit is and what makes him tick.
The big takeaway for me in this book is how Herbstreit didn’t listen to his head or gut but followed his heart and went into broadcasting vs getting a better paying sales job. It’s something I regret in my life and I’m happy to see someone like him do that and find wild success. From his early days doing radio in Columbus, Ohio to Arena Football Games to getting his gig on GameDay. He really did follow his heart and his passion.
Another takeaway for me in Herbstreit’s book is the relationship with his father and with his second dad, his ESPN GameDay co-host Lee Corso. Both are a big part of this book and should make one re-examine or at least take pause about the relationship with their own father. One line I thought was great was when Coros gave Herbstreit advice on marriage. “Happiness in marriage is you nodding your head and saying ‘yes’.”
Getting back to GameDay, from Herbstreit’s view, a lot of GameDay’s success comes from the original host Chris Fowler. Fowler, who now does play by play for the main college game on ESPN on Saturday. Fowler would battle to get the show going in a certain direction and since he was there from the start, he really is the show’s Godfather.
Honestly the most shocking thing about this book was Herbstreit’s relationship with broadcasting icon Brent Musburger. It wasn’t good. While Herbstreit is respectful, it’s clear that he and Musburger never jived in the booth and those were 7 long years for both of them.
Look if you like Herbstreit and ESPN College GameDay then you’re going to like this book. If you’re like me and closer in age to Herbstreit and remember watching him play, it’s an even better read. Either way, I recommend it and hope you enjoy it.
Brad Hubbard.com 