# Cedric Benson
**Cedric Benson** (Cedric Myron Benson; December 28, 1982 – August 17, 2019) was an American professional football running back who played eight NFL seasons for the [Chicago Bears](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-bears), Cincinnati Bengals, and [Green Bay Packers](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-bay-packers), and who ranks second in University of Texas history in career rushing yards and touchdowns.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BensCe00.htm) • [2](https://www.packers.com/news/former-packers-rb-cedric-benson-dies-at-36)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1982, Midland, Texas; August 17, 2019, Austin, Texas, in a motorcycle accident[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BensCe00.htm) • [3](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-texas-rb-cedric-benson-dies-at-36-0ap3000001042498) |
| Draft | Chicago Bears, 1st round, 4th overall, 2005 NFL Draft[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BensCe00.htm) |
| NFL career | 96 games, 1,600 carries, 6,017 rushing yards (3.8 per carry), 32 rushing touchdowns; 120 receptions for 833 yards and 1 touchdown[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/cedric-benson/stats/career) |
| College career | Texas, 2001–04: 5,540 rushing yards and 64 touchdowns on 1,112 carries (5.0 average)[2](https://www.packers.com/news/former-packers-rb-cedric-benson-dies-at-36) |
| College honors | 2004 Doak Walker Award winner, first-team All-America; enshrined in the Texas Hall of Honor in 2014[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away) |
| Bengals peak | 4,176 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns from 2008 to 2011, with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons[6](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/cincinnati-bengals-top-5-running-backs-of-all-time/) |
| Final season | Started the first five games for Green Bay in 2012 before a season-ending Lisfranc fracture on October 17, 2012[2](https://www.packers.com/news/former-packers-rb-cedric-benson-dies-at-36) |
## College career at Texas
Benson came out of Midland Lee High School in Texas, where he won three state championships in football, and became a four-year starter for the Longhorns from 2001 to 2004.[2](https://www.packers.com/news/former-packers-rb-cedric-benson-dies-at-36) He became the only player in school history, and one of only nine in NCAA record, to rush for 1,000 yards in each of four consecutive seasons.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away) His 5,540 career rushing yards and 64 touchdowns trail only [Heisman Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/heisman-trophy) winner [Ricky Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/ricky-williams) in both categories in Texas history, and the yardage total ranked tenth in NCAA history at the time of his death.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away)
His season-by-season production rose steadily. As a freshman in 2001 he set UT freshman records with 1,053 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning Freshman All-America and Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away) He ran for 1,293 yards as a sophomore and 1,360 yards with a career-high 21 touchdowns as a junior.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away)
**Senior season and awards.** In 2004 Benson rushed for 1,834 yards and 19 touchdowns on 326 carries, both fourth on Texas's single-season list, and helped the Longhorns to an 11–1 record capped by a 38–37 win over Michigan in the program's first Rose Bowl appearance.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away) He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back and earned first-team [All-America](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-america) honors.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away) That December he finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting with 187 points, and his teammate [Derrick Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/derrick-johnson) finished 12th, the first time two Longhorns had finished among the top 12 Heisman vote getters in the same year.[7](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2004/12/26/122604aae_935) Over his four seasons Texas went 43–8, with three 11-win campaigns and top-six final rankings three times.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away)
## NFL career
The Chicago Bears selected Benson with the fourth overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BensCe00.htm) His three seasons in Chicago were limited by injuries and a backup role behind [Thomas Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-jones-american-football); he started only 12 of 35 games there and never reached 700 rushing yards in a season, with a best of 674 yards in 2007.[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/cedric-benson/stats/career) • [8](https://www.nfl.com/players/cedric-benson/stats/) A 2007 profile noted questions about his durability and doubts about whether he would meet the expectations that came with his draft position.[9](https://www.nfl.com/news/benson-hopes-to-squash-doubts-and-prove-bears-made-right-choice-09000d5d8008854a)
**Cincinnati years.** Signed as a free agent by the Bengals during the 2008 season, Benson became their lead back and led the team in rushing in each of his four seasons there.[10](https://www.nfl.com/news/cedric-benson-signed-by-green-bay-packers-0ap1000000049029) From 2008 to 2011 he rushed for 4,176 yards and 21 touchdowns, including three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons that anchored the Bengals' ground game.[6](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/cincinnati-bengals-top-5-running-backs-of-all-time/) His best year was 2009, with 1,251 yards on 301 carries, a season in which [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati) swept its division and beat the defending champion Steelers.[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/cedric-benson/stats/career) • [11](https://www.bengals.com/news/bengaldom-mourns-benson) On December 6, 2009, his 36 carries against Detroit set a Lions opponent record for rushing attempts in a game.[12](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/DET.pdf) In the January 2010 AFC Wild Card playoff game he ran for 169 yards, a Bengals postseason record.[13](https://media.rams.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/25111520/RS4_vs_Vikings_Game_Release_Week_4_9-27-2018_OPT.pdf)
**Green Bay and retirement.** The Packers signed Benson midway through training camp in 2012, and he started their first five games before suffering a Lisfranc fracture in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis) on October 17, 2012. The injury proved season-ending despite a return designation from injured reserve, and he finished the year with 248 yards and a touchdown on 71 carries. It was his final NFL season.[2](https://www.packers.com/news/former-packers-rb-cedric-benson-dies-at-36)
Across eight seasons Benson played 96 games, starting 71, and totaled 6,017 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on 1,600 carries, plus 120 receptions for 833 yards and one score.[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/cedric-benson/stats/career) • [8](https://www.nfl.com/players/cedric-benson/stats/)
## Death and legacy
Benson died late on Saturday, August 17, 2019, at age 36, from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident in Texas.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-texas-rb-cedric-benson-dies-at-36-0ap3000001042498) • [5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away) He had been enshrined in the Texas Hall of Honor in 2014, and in 2019 the Longhorns honored him by wearing a number 32 helmet decal.[5](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away) • [14](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2019/10/14/Texas_Week8_Notes.pdf) A Pro-Football-[Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference) retrospective placed him among the top five running backs in Bengals history, crediting his three straight 1,000-yard seasons with solidifying the team's ground game.[6](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/cincinnati-bengals-top-5-running-backs-of-all-time/)
## References
1. [Cedric Benson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BensCe00.htm)
2. [Former Packers RB Cedric Benson dies at 36, Packers.com](https://www.packers.com/news/former-packers-rb-cedric-benson-dies-at-36)
3. [Former NFL, Texas RB Cedric Benson dies at 36, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-texas-rb-cedric-benson-dies-at-36-0ap3000001042498)
4. [Cedric Benson Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/cedric-benson/stats/career)
5. [Longhorn great Cedric Benson passes away, University of Texas Athletics](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2019/8/19/football-longhorn-great-cedric-benson-passes-away)
6. [Cincinnati Bengals Top 5 Running Backs of All Time, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/cincinnati-bengals-top-5-running-backs-of-all-time/)
7. [UT duo registers Longhorns first in Heisman voting, University of Texas Athletics](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2004/12/26/122604aae_935)
8. [Cedric Benson Stats Summary, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/cedric-benson/stats/)
9. [Benson hopes to squash doubts and prove Bears made right choice, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/benson-hopes-to-squash-doubts-and-prove-bears-made-right-choice-09000d5d8008854a)
10. [Cedric Benson signed by Green Bay Packers, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/cedric-benson-signed-by-green-bay-packers-0ap1000000049029)
11. [Bengaldom Mourns Benson, Bengals.com](https://www.bengals.com/news/bengaldom-mourns-benson)
12. [Detroit Lions 2025 Media Guide, Opponent Individual Records](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/DET.pdf)
13. [Bengals postseason individual records (169-yard Wild Card game), NFL club document](https://media.rams.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/25111520/RS4_vs_Vikings_Game_Release_Week_4_9-27-2018_OPT.pdf)
14. [Texas Football 2019 Week 8 Game Notes (number 32 helmet decal)](https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/download/2019/10/14/Texas_Week8_Notes.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Running backs › Retired NFL running backs › NFL running backs of the 1990s and 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license