NE OF the most prolific rushers
in college football history,
Cedric Benson died on Aug. 17
in a motorcycle accident in Austin, where
the 36-year-old had become a Longhorns
legend in the early 2000s.
A four-year starter, Benson rushed for
5,540 yards, second only to Ricky Williams
in Texas history (and still ninth all time in
the FBS). As a senior in 2004, he averaged
152.8 yards per game; his regular-season
low was a 92-yard game against Oklahoma.
And in his collegiate finale, the consensus
All-American and Doak Walker Award
winner helped the Vince Young–led
Longhorns to a thrilling 38–37 win over
Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Three months later Benson was drafted
fourth overall by the Bears, beginning his
rocky NFL career. Injuries and clashes with
management plagued his three seasons in
Chicago, which came to an end after he was
arrested twice on alcohol-related offenses
in a five-week span in 2008. He landed in
Cincinnati, where he put up three 1,000-
yard seasons. But after two more arrests,
a one-game suspension for violating the
NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy and a brief
five-game stint with Green Bay, Benson
finally walked away from football in ’12.
“We’ve coached a lot of tough players,”
former Texas coach Mack Brown wrote
on Twitter, “but none were tougher than
Cedric. He was a true spirit.” ±
greg delong
(Greg DeLong)
#1