Topic: Cedric Benson

Cedric Myron Benson (born December 28, 1982) is an American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears fourth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Texas at Austin.

Benson began to emerge as a football stand-out in the eighth grade while attending Abell Junior High School in Midland, Texas under Coach Chris McKinney. Benson attended Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas, and finished his career with 8,423 rushing yards (the most in Texas 5A history and the fourth most in Texas high school football history). He led his team to three consecutive State Championships, and rushed for a total of 15 touchdowns in the three championship games. Cedric rushed for more than 1,900 yards in only 9 games. He was the first high school player to ever make the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football annual magazine. Cedric was also a center fielder on the baseball team. As a senior, in District 4-5A games, he hit .361 with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs.

Benson was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 12th round (370th overall) of the 2001 MLB Draft. While Benson did not play in the major leagues, he spent his time with the Dodgers playing in their summer league at Vero Beach. He also played with the Gulf Coast League Dodgers. In 25 at bats he had 5 hits, 1 run, 3 doubles, 2 triples, and 2 RBIs. In 2003, Benson left the Dodgers to concentrate on his football career.