Texas football mourns death of former running back Cedric Benson

By Steve Lansdale

AUSTIN, Texas — Cedric Benson, the second-leading rusher in University of Texas football history and one of the most prolific runners in NCAA history, died Saturday night at the age of 36 in a motorcycle accident, the details of which were not immediately made public.

Benson played for UT from 2001-04, rushing for 5,540 yards, and is the only Longhorn to run for more than 1,000 in each of four seasons. His career rushing total trails only the 6,279 of Ricky Williams in school history and ranks ninth in NCAA history. He reached the end zone 64 times for the Longhorns, and won the Doak Walker Award, which is given annually to the nation’s premier college running back, in his senior season.

The Midland, Texas native played for the Longhorns[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] under head coach Mack Brown, who now is the head coach at North Carolina.

“Sally and I are just grief-stricken with Cedric’s passing,” Brown said. “He was as good as you’ll ever see as a football player and as tough as they come. But what I’ll remember most is what a special, special person he was. We always enjoyed talking with him, because he was such a bright and unique guy.”

A 2014 inductee into UT’s Hall of Honor, Benson was drafted with the fourth overall draft pick by Chicago in 2005 and helped the Bears reach Super Bowl XLI. He enjoyed his most NFL success while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2008-11, leading the team to the playoffs twice and compiling three consecutive seasons of more than 1,000 rushing yards. He played his final season with the Green Bay Packers, starting the first five games in 2012 before suffering a season-ending foot injury.

In his eight-year NFL career, Benson rushed for 6,017 yards and 33 touchdowns.

“It’s an unbelievably sad day with the news of the passing of Cedric Benson,” current Texas head coach Tom Herman said. “We lost a true Longhorn Legend, one of the best running backs in college football history and a really special man. He was far too young, and my heart aches for his family, friends and the entire Longhorn community. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.”

Benson’s death was met with an outpouring from the NFL and Texas football communities, from coaches to players and fans. Among those sharing their memories was his former teammate and close friend, linebacker Derrick Johnson.

“Being two of the biggest names in our recruiting class in 2001, Cedric and I roomed together our freshman year,” Johnson said. “We became really great friends. For that freshman class, he was head of the offense and I was head of the defense. That was our mindset always.

“We really had a special bond that started as soon as we roomed together and carried on long after college. On the field, Cedric was a workhorse and one of the toughest players I’ve ever been around. He will always be remembered as a Texas legend, and best of all a really good friend that I can tell my kids about. It’s a very sad day, but I’m so lucky to have had such a wonderful relationship and so many great memories.”

Brown echoed Johnson’s gratitude for the time spent with Benson.

“There will never be another one like him, and he will be dearly missed by so many,” Brown said. “It’s just heartbreaking, but we feel very fortunate to have had him in our lives.”
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