Jim Herbstreit, who captained the 1960 Ohio State football team, died Thursday at the age of 77, his son, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, told The Columbus Dispatch.
Jim Herbstreit was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease two years ago. He died suddenly Thursday morning in Cleveland, according to his son.
"It's a tough day for my family and I," Kirk Herbstreit told the Dispatch.
Kirk Herbstreit later tweeted:
Overwhelmed by the well wishes about my Dads passing. I truly am. Thanks to every single one of you. God Bless. https://t.co/eEV8vz2kAC
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) March 18, 2016
Kirk Herbstreit played quarterback for the Buckeyes from 1989 to 1992. He served as a captain as a senior, making the Herbstreits one of only three father-son tandems to hold that title in Buckeyes program history (Jim and Jeff Davidson; Pepper and Dionte Johnson), according to the Dispatch.
Jim Herbstreit was a three-year letter-winner (1958-60) who played running back, defensive back and was a key special-teamer for Ohio State.
According to the Dispatch, he became an assistant on the Buckeyes staff after graduating before becoming the top college assistant at Miami (Fla.) under Bo Schembechler in 1963. Jim Herbstreit left coaching two years later, the newspaper reported.