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Out of the Pocket : Football, Fatherhood, and College GameDay Saturdays

Out of the Pocket : Football, Fatherhood, and College GameDay Saturdays

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  • Create Date：2021-11-09 09:50:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Kirk Herbstreit
  • ISBN：1982171014
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Summary

A powerfully intimate， plain-spoken memoir about fathers and sons， fortitude， and football from the face and voice of college football—Kirk Herbstreit。

Kirk Herbstreit is a reflection of the sport he loves， a reflection of his football-crazed home state of Ohio， where he was a high school star and Ohio State captain， and a reflection of another Ohio State football captain thirty-two years earlier: his dad Jim， who battled Alzheimer’s disease until his death in 2016。

In Out of the Pocket， Herbstreit will do what his father did for him: take you inside the locker rooms， to the practice fields， to the meeting rooms， to the stadiums。 Herbstreit will describe how a combination of hard work， perseverance， and a little luck landed him on the set of ESPN’s iconic College GameDay show， surrounded by tens of thousands of fans who treat their Saturdays like a football Mardi Gras。

He’ll take you into the television production meetings， on to the GameDay set， and into the broadcast booth。 You’ll live his life during a football season， see the things he sees， experience every chaotic twist and turn as the year unfolds。 Not to mention the relationships he’s established and the insights he’s learned from the likes of coaches and players such as Nick Saban， Tim Tebow， Dabo Swinney， and Peyton Manning， as well as his colleagues， including Chris Fowler， Rece Davis， and his “second dad，” the beloved Coach Lee Corso。

Yes， Kirk Herbstreit is the undeniable face and voice of college football—but he’s also a survivor。 He’s the quiet kid who withstood the collapse of his parents’ marriage。 The boy who endured too many overbearing stepdads and stepmoms。 The painfully shy student who always chose the last desk in the last row of the classroom。 The young man who persevered through a frustrating Ohio State playing career。 The new college graduate who turned down a lucrative sales job after college to pursue a “no way you’ll make it” dream career in broadcasting。

An inspiring， gripping， and eye-opening memoir， Out of the Pocket is the ultimate read for anyone who loves football and with a dream worth pursuing。

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Reviews

Brian Brantley ，

A great read for college football fans and fans of ESPN Game Day。

Leslie M。 Cann ，

Great autobiography/biography for any college football fan， and particularly a Buckeyes fan。 Chock full of lessons learned outside of college football。 I consider my a BIG Ohio State fan and I even learned some new things。 I’ve always enjoyed Kirk Herbstreit on Saturdays， now maybe just a bit more。 GO BUCKS！

Tammy Sensibaugh ，

If you like Herbie and OSU football， this is a must read！ I enjoyed learning about the Game Day set/family！ He discusses his family and the special relationship he has with Lee Corso （he refers to as his 2nd dad）！

Lauren Grace Keen ，

You guys！ I loved this book！ If you enjoy college football even just a little bit， I highly recommend this book。 I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Kirk himself。

Mike Kennedy ，

I listened to the audio version of this book。 I am a huge college football fan， and since college I have been waking up Saturday mornings in the fall， well maybe not all the time in college， to watch College Gameday with Herbie， Corso， and the rest of the college football crew。 When I saw this book was coming out I knew it was a must read， and it didn’t disappoint。 Kirk Herbstreit had always come off as a likable TV personality whenever he is on ESPN， and this book does nothing to change that im I listened to the audio version of this book。 I am a huge college football fan， and since college I have been waking up Saturday mornings in the fall， well maybe not all the time in college， to watch College Gameday with Herbie， Corso， and the rest of the college football crew。 When I saw this book was coming out I knew it was a must read， and it didn’t disappoint。 Kirk Herbstreit had always come off as a likable TV personality whenever he is on ESPN， and this book does nothing to change that image。 “Herbie” walks us through his life from the time he is a kid with divorced parents to the present day。 As he tells his story it seems extremely genuine and heartfelt。 He covers it all， and isn’t afraid to call himself out when he screwed up。I learned a ton about Mr。 Herbstreit in this book that I didn’t know before， and it was told as a story that kept you engaged as a listener。 Another aspect I really liked is Mr。 Herbstreit （if he were reading this review， I imagine him cringing as I call him Mr。） read the audio version himself。 I felt that really added to the enjoyment of the book。 Overall this is a must read for college football fans。 Especially those who spent many a years watching College Gameday。 Overall an easy five star rating。 。。。more

Jon Dunn ，

Good。 Audio。

Jackchristopherhill ，

Great bookIncredible book， in fact one of my all-time favorites。 Kirk really tells it how it is/was。 I had no idea how he younger years were formed or how he struggled at Ohio State in the beginning。

Jane Ammeson ，

Eight schools in just as many years， parents divorcing， new step-parents， more divorces， more new homes， overwhelming shyness， red-faced when emotional and almost always feeling out of place。 It doesn’t sound like the prerequisites for Kirk Herbstreit’s stellar career as a sportscaster and star of College GameDay。tBut Herbstreit always had football and no matter what school he landed in， he made the team， and he was a star。 It might not have been enough—not with a stepmother who didn’t mind ente Eight schools in just as many years， parents divorcing， new step-parents， more divorces， more new homes， overwhelming shyness， red-faced when emotional and almost always feeling out of place。 It doesn’t sound like the prerequisites for Kirk Herbstreit’s stellar career as a sportscaster and star of College GameDay。tBut Herbstreit always had football and no matter what school he landed in， he made the team， and he was a star。 It might not have been enough—not with a stepmother who didn’t mind entertaining male guests in front of her stepson when his father was out of town， a barely tolerable stepfather， and constantly saying goodbye to friends， attempting to make new ones， and trying to hide out in the back row of the classroom in his newest school。 But what else could a kid like Herbstreit learn to do but stuff his feelings deep inside and throw the ball。 It worked。tFor a while。 Herbstreit was playing for Ohio State University just as his father had。 But things weren’t going well。 He didn’t quite fit in with the program。 Suddenly he wasn’t a star。 He was barely on the team。tIn other words， it wasn’t working。t“I’ve always been the guy who tried to say the right thing， to tell people what I thought they wanted to her，” says Herbstreit in his new autobiography， Out of the Pocket: Football， Fatherhood， and College GameDay Saturdays written with longtime ESPN reporter Gene Wojciechowski。 “I’m a shy guy， the one who holds things in—it’s my way。 I’m an introvert by nature。” tOn the phone Herbstreit seems like the kind of guy you could talk to for hours。 He’s friendly， he’s chatty， he listens， he doesn’t need to dominate the conversation， he’s open about his feelings， and he cries at sentimental movies。tSo what happened to the stuffing feelings thing？“I’ve come a long way from what I was，” says Herbstreit。 “I just evolved。”But it was more than that。 He took a huge step。 It seems there’s was this funky looking OSU team doctor。“He had this look to him，” Herbstreit recalls about the team’s therapist。 It’s not an unusual comment about psychiatrists。“It was 1990， forget 2021，” says Herbstreit about deciding to talk to a mental health professional。 “I remember going into his office looking over both my shoulders， like Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting。 I was very standoffish， giving the answers he might want to hear。 I was just giving him canned answers， then he started talking to me about my background， saying tell me about your mom， your dad， and I suddenly started talking about what I’d been through。 He was the first person I really talked to about all this。 He became my confident， my guy。 I was skipping when I went into his office。 When the season ended， I went up to get three different awards， the last time I went up was to get the most valuable player， I just got it out， I said there’s this guy， it was such a credibly positive experience。 It was a game changer。”Herbstreit was the youngest of three siblings， John and Teri， who after their parents’ divorce lived with their mother， a struggling car sales person。 When she didn’t sell a car， they didn’t eat。 They often scrounged for food。 Their father？ Missing in action。 But to give him his due， he may have taken one too many hard blows to the head while playing football for Ohio State。 It changed him， Herbstreit’s mother claimed。 Whatever the cause， his father was remote and withdrew from his kids’ life for long periods after the divorce。 He married a woman who kicked John out of the house。 Teri took over a big part of parenting her younger brother， giving up a big chunk of what should have been her fun years。But Herbstreit revered his father， no matter what。 When the family still lived together， he would go down to the basement and lovingly unpack his father’s football momentous from his days as a player and then coach at OSU。 And there was his dad’s Captain’s Mug—the ultimate trophy。And in Herbstreit’s last year at Ohio， he would get his own OSU Captain’s Mug。How often does that happen？“In 130 years in football it’s happened three times，” says Herbstreit， who after a pause adds， “some kids go through divorce angry， I never had that， I just wanted my dad。 He was my hero—he was Zeus， he was Superman， when I finally got voted captain， the first person I wanted to call was my dad。”But his father had a hard time listening。 It taught Herbstreit， the father of four sons， how important it was to listen to his kids。After his senior year， Herbstreit was offered a totally awesome job as a medical supply sales rep—six figures， a company car， and 401k plan。 But he wanted to be a sports talk show host and he also had an offer doing just that。 It paid $12，000 with no benefits。 Seems like an easy decision。It was。 Herbstreit took the radio sports job with WBNS 1460。 He worked his way up and up and until he got the call。A try out for College Game Day。 He was a disaster—he was visibly sweating and his face turned bright red。 Afterwards the only thing Herbstreit could remember was that he jabbered away but not what he said。 Oh and he did recall Lee Corso kindly telling him over and over again to relax。 It was bust he thought， knowing he was up against the much better known Mike Adamle who was considered a shoo-in for the job。But we know how it turned out。 Herbstreit has been on College GameDay for more than 30 years。As long as we’re talking football， does Herbstreit have any comments on Justin Fields， the new Chicago Bears quarterback？“Congratulations， congratulations， you’ve got a great player， who has a chip on his shoulder and is competitive， the players will love their teammate，” says Herbstreit in what is music to the ears of Bears fan。 。。。more

Scott Martin ，

（Audiobook） As one of the millions of red-blooded American men who love college football， I am very familiar with the work of Kirk Herbstreit。 I do think he has evolved into one of the better color analysts for college football and his work on College GameDay， especially the chemistry all of the individuals have on the set， is something to behold。 At this point， it was as good a time as any for him to put out a memoir。 He is Ohio through and through， and Ohio State at that。 Didn't know that his （Audiobook） As one of the millions of red-blooded American men who love college football， I am very familiar with the work of Kirk Herbstreit。 I do think he has evolved into one of the better color analysts for college football and his work on College GameDay， especially the chemistry all of the individuals have on the set， is something to behold。 At this point， it was as good a time as any for him to put out a memoir。 He is Ohio through and through， and Ohio State at that。 Didn't know that his dad could have found himself in position to succeed Woody Hayes at Ohio State。 Also didn't realize that Herbie， who makes a living speaking to people on TV， had a major hangup on public speaking in high school， taking a zero on an assignment rather than give a speech。 Overall， a fun read， one that if read as hard-copy/e-copy is probably 3 stars， but dude was always going to narrate his own work， so the audiobook was going to rate higher。 Don't always have to like him， but you can respect the background and life he has carved out for himself。 。。。more

Sharon Nale ，

I was at OSU in the mid 60's， but my interest in football continues to the day。 I remember the years that Kirk was our QB。 I mostly know him from his years as a football analyst。 and I found his recollection of his years at OSU to be interesting and informative。 I especially liked learning about his growing up years。 Like myself and so many of our youth these days， he was impacted by the divorce of his parents。 I also enjoyed reading of his relationship with Lee Corso。 His behind-the-scenes stor I was at OSU in the mid 60's， but my interest in football continues to the day。 I remember the years that Kirk was our QB。 I mostly know him from his years as a football analyst。 and I found his recollection of his years at OSU to be interesting and informative。 I especially liked learning about his growing up years。 Like myself and so many of our youth these days， he was impacted by the divorce of his parents。 I also enjoyed reading of his relationship with Lee Corso。 His behind-the-scenes stories in the broadcast booth were hilarious and again， interesting。 He reads as being pretty authentic， pretty down-to-earth honest， in his statements about the coaches and players he knows and has known over his many years in sports。 He appears to be very sensitive to the needs and feelings of others， and is cautious in what he says about some that could be interpreted as negative。 Kirk seems very approachable， and very humble。 I enjoyed the book and getting to know him better。 。。。more

Rocky Parra ，

If you are a fan of college football， I believe you will truly enjoy this book。 I listened to it on Audible and Herbstreit narrates the book himself。 I learned somethings I didn’t know about the author and about college football。 I am a bigger fan now than I was before I read the book。 Was completely sold when he quoted some of my favorite scripture at the end of the book。

Super Sue ，

I am a college football junky love College Game Day so naturally I would read this book。 Kirk tells his story very straight forward he didn't grow up in a normal family setting his college football careerwasn't wonderful but he made it thru and came out better for it I think。i I am a college football junky love College Game Day so naturally I would read this book。 Kirk tells his story very straight forward he didn't grow up in a normal family setting his college football careerwasn't wonderful but he made it thru and came out better for it I think。i 。。。more

Mike L ，

Excellent book， very well written with a lot of thoughtful insight。 I am a big college football fan and there were tremendous stories about College Game day and college football in general。

Dave Cottenie ，

An interesting story that really lacks any sort of controversy。 Some of the origins and stories from College Gameday are compelling but overall it is a simple feel-good story of what seems to be a good person， succeeding。

Craig Cunningham ，

Aside from Chapter 20， "Perspective" I really enjoyed this read。 Until 2020， College GameDay was perhaps my favorite TV show， and I still enjoy it， but not as much as I used to。Kirk is obviously a humble， talented man who loves his family and I respect him a great deal。 Chapter 20 was a social justice walk-off that was disappointing， even though I think Kirk is coming from an honest place。 There are those of us who study themes like post-modernism， critical race theory， so-called "systemic racis Aside from Chapter 20， "Perspective" I really enjoyed this read。 Until 2020， College GameDay was perhaps my favorite TV show， and I still enjoy it， but not as much as I used to。Kirk is obviously a humble， talented man who loves his family and I respect him a great deal。 Chapter 20 was a social justice walk-off that was disappointing， even though I think Kirk is coming from an honest place。 There are those of us who study themes like post-modernism， critical race theory， so-called "systemic racism，" police shootings， etc。， the way Kirk studies game film。 Personally， I know of no morally sensitive person who believes that racism doesn't exist in the USA。 However， that doesn't mean racism is nearly as widespread as people like Kirk Herbstreit portray it to be。 All racism is evil at its core， but citing anecdotal evidence of racism to push a narrative that the USA is a racist country is dishonest and only exacerbates the problem。 Kirk even threw in the， "as a white guy" line was always comes across as a phony type of self-deprecation。 He mentioned in the book that sports for him used to be color blind。 Maybe he should go back to that。 。。。more

Sheryl ，

Loved the thoughts of Kirk and made me appreciate him on Game Day。 It tells about how he got to where he is， his family， snd love of Lee Corso。

Michael Travis ，

I am a fan of Kirks'。 I enjoyed this book but found it to not hold as much content about his GameDay experiences as I would have liked。 Good read though。 I am a fan of Kirks'。 I enjoyed this book but found it to not hold as much content about his GameDay experiences as I would have liked。 Good read though。 。。。more

Austin Schulte ，

I kind of expected more life lessons but was a nice biography from one of my favorite CFB commenters/announcers。 Would recommend to any sports fan or Ohio state fan

Jared Brinn ，

I liked the first half of the book more than the second。 I wish the book would’ve gone even more into the behind the scenes of game day。 However， hearing Kirk’s story of adversity was well told and influential。 He has been a favorite of mine on TV for a long time。

Caroline Haney ，

If you love college football， you will love this book。 It’s that simple。

Paige T ，

I had a notable affinity for Kirk from a young age and also grew up in and around football。 I knew I would likely enjoy this book。 But， it was even better than I anticipated。 Well-written and heartfelt， I loved hearing Kirk read his own words about football， family， and life。 He did not shy away from telling the hard stories of his childhood and playing career， or from speaking on the issues outside of the sport， including COVID and social justice movements。 I’m proud to have been a fan of Kirk I had a notable affinity for Kirk from a young age and also grew up in and around football。 I knew I would likely enjoy this book。 But， it was even better than I anticipated。 Well-written and heartfelt， I loved hearing Kirk read his own words about football， family， and life。 He did not shy away from telling the hard stories of his childhood and playing career， or from speaking on the issues outside of the sport， including COVID and social justice movements。 I’m proud to have been a fan of Kirk and College Gameday and to read this as the 2021 season begins。 。。。more

Timothy S。 Henson ，

A fantastic read for anyone and not just football fans。 Herbstreit opens about his life in ways that few others have before。 I really enjoyed this book。

Debbie ，

I love College Football， I love THE Ohio State Buckeyes， and I love the job Kirk Herbstreit does on College Game Day and game analysis。 So， of course， I was eager to read his memoir。 What I didn’t know （or perhaps remember） how Herby overcame a rough family situation and toiled for years to get a shot at leading the Buckeyes。 What I was most impressed by is his work ethic， his devotion to his family， his acknowledgment of the many people who have been his mentors， and his ability to persevere wh I love College Football， I love THE Ohio State Buckeyes， and I love the job Kirk Herbstreit does on College Game Day and game analysis。 So， of course， I was eager to read his memoir。 What I didn’t know （or perhaps remember） how Herby overcame a rough family situation and toiled for years to get a shot at leading the Buckeyes。 What I was most impressed by is his work ethic， his devotion to his family， his acknowledgment of the many people who have been his mentors， and his ability to persevere when the critics are unbearable。 I wish him continued success and will now be an even bigger fan！ 。。。more

Josh Vires ，

One of the best books I’ve read/listened to in a really long time。 I appreciated this not only as a fan of college football but as a family man and a father。 Kirk is mainstay on my television on weekends in the fall and now I’ll appreciate his commentary even more since I know a little more about the guy behind the voice。 Might even keep the tv unmuted if and when Oklahoma plays Ohio State again。

Michele E McClurg ，

Well written and personableLoved the first hand accounts of his life Kirk shares in the same sometimes humerous and insightful way he does in the broadcast booth。 He seems to be the same grounded and humble persona he displays on air。 His love of the game is obvious and infectious。 Great read。

Tim Lock ，

A bit disappointingI've always enjoyed the commentary of Kirk Herbstreit。 His book though is a bit lackluster。 The stories of how he got into broadcasting and his broadcasting career are interesting though A bit disappointingI've always enjoyed the commentary of Kirk Herbstreit。 His book though is a bit lackluster。 The stories of how he got into broadcasting and his broadcasting career are interesting though 。。。more

Ken Heard ，

I dropped cable about four years ago when our local provider decided to extort us on the prices， so I've missed seeing the evolution of Game Day on ESPN。 I always liked Herbstreit and I remember him when he was with Ohio State。 I thought， though， this would be another memoir "written" by a jock who， while pretending to be modest， crows majestically about his achievements。Instead， I read a great look at the career of a hard-working who had to overcome some of the struggles the rest of us deal wit I dropped cable about four years ago when our local provider decided to extort us on the prices， so I've missed seeing the evolution of Game Day on ESPN。 I always liked Herbstreit and I remember him when he was with Ohio State。 I thought， though， this would be another memoir "written" by a jock who， while pretending to be modest， crows majestically about his achievements。Instead， I read a great look at the career of a hard-working who had to overcome some of the struggles the rest of us deal with。 This is no golden-spoon athlete who gets it all easily。Herbstreit is modest。 He's honest about his time at Ohio State and the "wasted" first few years dealing with a coach and offense not suited to his skills。 He's also almost surprised he got the ESPN job， and he's not afraid to give his opinions。 Although， he's not a fan of sportscasting legend Brent Musburger， he does acknowledge Musburger is royalty in the sports world。 I was also surprised at Herbstreit's dedication to his family。 He may fly to some campus for Game Day on Thursday and then fly to the game site if it's at a different location that Saturday and then return home late that evening to be with his family。 That speaks a lot of a person in itself。This was a great book to read to kick off the college football season。 There are games we all remember as fans， but Herbstreit adds more behind-the-scenes things and some heartfelt observations about old coaches （Woody Hayes， Bo Schembechler， John Cooper， et al。） that make this better。 A must for any college football fan， a sports fan or simply a good human fan。 。。。more

Michael ，

Out of the Pocket was a well-written and interesting book。 Even though Kirk Herbstreit is on college sports fans' TVs for over six hours a day every Saturday during the fall， he does a great job of keeping his personal life private。 This book was a look into what pushes him daily to be a QB while playing at THE Ohio State University， being a local radio and TV host in Columbus， a husband， father， and ultimately， in my opinion， the face of college football for ESPN/ABC。 I would recommend this boo Out of the Pocket was a well-written and interesting book。 Even though Kirk Herbstreit is on college sports fans' TVs for over six hours a day every Saturday during the fall， he does a great job of keeping his personal life private。 This book was a look into what pushes him daily to be a QB while playing at THE Ohio State University， being a local radio and TV host in Columbus， a husband， father， and ultimately， in my opinion， the face of college football for ESPN/ABC。 I would recommend this book to any sports fan。 。。。more

Mark Youngkin ，

This is much better than most sports autobiographies I have read。 Herbstreit is transparent， sometimes painfully so， as he describes his formative years and especially his often-strained relationship with his father （if you see just a young man with matinee-idol looks and assume his life has been an easy one， think again）。 The book is especially effective when he covers his early post-college media career。 That section will probably encourage people in lots of walks of life to eschew a safe care This is much better than most sports autobiographies I have read。 Herbstreit is transparent， sometimes painfully so， as he describes his formative years and especially his often-strained relationship with his father （if you see just a young man with matinee-idol looks and assume his life has been an easy one， think again）。 The book is especially effective when he covers his early post-college media career。 That section will probably encourage people in lots of walks of life to eschew a safe career path and go for a career that they'll love。 His focus on family is also admirable。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Bruce Johnson ，

I’ve long admired Kirk Herbstreit as an articulate analyst of College football。 This book goes behind the scenes in a variety of compelling ways。 College Game Day， his respect and affection for Lee Corso， his journey through a great career， the rewards and challenges of growing up a Herbstreit， the love he has for his family。 If you’re a fan of inspiring stories， this book should be at the top of your list。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Out of the Pocket : Football, Fatherhood, and College GameDay Saturdays

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Out of the Pocket : Football, Fatherhood, and College GameDay Saturdays&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Out of the Pocket : Football, Fatherhood, and College GameDay Saturdays&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0