Out of the Pocket by Kirk Herbstreit

Author:Kirk Herbstreit [Herbstreit, Kirk]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2021-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

The Rookie

At first, the words didn’t register. And then, it hit me like Junior Seau. I could not believe what Brian had just told me. My life changed right then and there in the Detroit airport.

I stared at the terminal floor in shock. I started crying. I couldn’t control myself. People walked by and looked at me as if I was having some sort of medical or emotional issue.

What I wouldn’t learn until years later is that Al Jaffe, who oversaw ESPN’s talent negotiations and recruitment (his nickname was “the Kingmaker”), had seen my audition tape. Jaffe prided himself in discovering and hiring new talent. Stuart Scott, Mike Tirico, Robin Roberts, Rece Davis, Kenny Mayne, Mike Greenberg, and Suzy Kolber, among many others, were all hired during Jaffe’s twenty-eight-year ESPN watch.

Jaffe reported to Howard Katz, who was ESPN’s executive vice president for production. Katz was in charge of what and who made it on the air at ESPN.

One day he walked into Katz’s office and said, “I have a tape you should see.”

It was my audition tape.

In a 2020 interview, Katz said that as he watched my tape he remembered something that his former colleague, famed producer Don Ohlmeyer, had told him.

“Don said, ‘You can’t make the camera like you. Either it likes you or it doesn’t like you,’ ” recalled Katz in the interview. “The camera liked Kirk Herbstreit.”

After he finished watching the tape, Katz turned to Jaffe and said, “Sign Kirk Herbstreit.”

Brian told me that Jaffe had called him and said, “We like your guy. If you and I can work out a contract, he’s got the job.” Brian’s knees buckled when Jaffe made the offer.

Brian had been with me from the very beginning. He had believed in me from the very beginning. This was the monumental break we had dared to dream about.

In that same 2020 interview, Katz said: “I have told people over the years that Kirk was the single-best hire I made. I got John Madden for Monday Night Football, which was an enormous achievement for us. But it didn’t take a genius to know what John Madden could do in front of the camera.

“But Kirk is probably the hire I take the most pride in, taking a chance on someone who was a complete unknown.… I take tremendous pride in what he has accomplished in his career, and I know where he started. This one I got right.”

I’m humbled and gratified by Katz’s comments. He, Davenport (especially during my early years at ESPN), Jaffe… they all took a chance on me. The same goes for Terry, Moose (especially Moose), Mick, Dom, and Jay. I’ve never forgotten their kindnesses, their willingness to help me. During the course of my career, I’ve tried to follow their example and help others break into the business, or offer advice and guidance whenever I could. (By the way, Adamle also was hired after his audition to host ESPN2’s weekly college football studio show.)

The headline in the July 9, 1996,

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