It’s a sad day for the Texas football family. Former Longhorns running back Cedric Benson died in a motorcycle accident in West Austin last night at the age of 36. His family confirmed the heartbreaking news this morning, and there has been an outpouring of support from former teammates and fans.
Cedric Benson's brother posted to confirm the news about his brother. It was reportedly a motorcycle accident in Austin, Texas. pic.twitter.com/EL3saAn77D
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 18, 2019
Very sad day with the passing of Longhorn Legend Cedric Benson. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and our community of lettermen. He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/7v7rJioFis
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) August 18, 2019
Benson was one of the top running backs in the history of Texas football. He ran for over 1,000 yards and at least 12 touchdowns in each of his four seasons on campus, and he retired as the second all-time leading rusher in program history behind Ricky Williams. As a senior, Benson ran for over 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns and was named the Doak Walker Award winner as the top running back in college football.
That success led to Benson being selected with the fourth pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. His three seasons with the Bears weren’t great, and he was released by the team in the summer of 2008, but then he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and became one of the league’s better running backs for three years.
From 2009 to 2011, Benson was the Bengals’ No. 1 running back, rushing for over 1,000 yards with at least six rushing touchdowns in each of those three seasons.
From 2009-2011 Cedric Benson was the only player to have 270+ carries & 6+ rushing TDs in all 3 of those years. How impressive is that? Only Arian & Marshawn have had 3 such consecutive seasons from 2009-2018. Cedric Benson was the 15th best RB in fantasy over that stretch. #RIP pic.twitter.com/WuAQu26fEH
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) August 18, 2019
He signed a one-year deal with Green Bay in 2012, but a Lisfranc injury led to him only playing in five games. It ended up being Benson’s last season in the NFL.
After the NFL, Benson moved back to Austin. He was a frequent sight around the city, and members of the Longhorn family have expressed how much they will miss Benson today.
I saw Ced B at Marble Slab in Austin 3 weeks ago. He was just chillin, enjoying ice cream with his fam on a hot summer day.
I was going to say wassup, but you don’t bother a legend when they’re with their family. So I simply drove off. I regret it now. #RIPCedricBenson https://t.co/fdLwk5dLGd
— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) August 18, 2019
Saddened by the reports on the passing of Cedric Benson. We’ve coached a lot of tough players but none were tougher than Cedric. He was a true spirit. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family on this sad day. pic.twitter.com/6afR0AFiJW
— Mack Brown (@CoachMackBrown) August 18, 2019
Damn Bro! We were just talking about our daughters and life. Love you bro! #RIPCedB #GoneTooSoon 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽 pic.twitter.com/VE4WbKKMBb
— Bo Scaife (@BoScaife80) August 18, 2019
Texas will certainly find a way to honor one of its legends this season. The Longhorns will kick off the year against Louisiana Tech in Austin next Saturday.
H/T Austin American Statesman
