Vince Young, Mack Brown, Chad Johnson, etc. mourn Cedric Benson

The passing of Cedric Benson at the age of 36 on Aug. 17 was unexpected and will be a day of mourning in the football world.

The football world, and the Texas football program in particular, lost a great player and person on Aug. 17 way too early. Former Texas standout running back Cedric Benson passed last night after a motorcycle accident in Austin at the age of 36. This came out of nowhere and it wasn’t too long ago that he was lighting up both college and NFL defenses.

Benson is one of the most accomplished and electrifying running backs that played for the Texas Longhorns football program in its entire history. He still holds multiple records with the Longhorns and in the Big 12, including rushing yards, touchdowns, and points responsible for. He played between 2001-2004 and accounted for 6,161 total yards from scrimmage and 67 touchdowns.

In the NFL, Benson played with three different teams between 2005-2012. He had a pretty long career by the considerations of most NFL running backs. He played through the age of 30 with the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, and Green Bay Packers. Benson had more than 6,000 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns in his eight seasons in the pros.

However, Benson passed just seven years after his NFL career ended. It was way too soon. His memory lived on when the news broke on Aug. 18 that he passed away in the motorcycle accident. Football fans and his friends and family everywhere posted in tribute to his passing.

Former Texas head coach Mack Brown posted his rememberance on Twitter on Aug. 18 as he coached Benson for all four years. Brown is currently the head coach back where he was before he joined the Longhorns, in Chapel Hill with the North Carolina Tar Heels football program.

A teammate of Benson’s with the Bengals for three years, former star wide receiver Chad Johnson, also posted his mourning of Benson on Twitter on Sunday morning.

A former teammate of Benson’s with the Longhorns, legendary quarterback Vince Young, posted a video on his Twitter timeline featuring the star running back with the words “Legend!!”.

Other football players that posted tribute to Benson on social media included former Baylor Bears Heisman winning quarterback Robert Griffin III, running back and Bears teammate Thomas Jones, and Longhorns basketball player Andrew Jones.

This is a sad day for the Longhorns and the football world in general. Benson was a fantastic presence and racked up a lot of major accomplishments on the field. He was the 2004 Doak Walker Award winner, consensus All-American, and Ed Block Courage Award winner in 2010.

Benson is a native of Midland, TX, and one of the greatest running backs in Texas football program history. He also excelled in the NFL for eight years and had a positive impact on others on and off the field. He will be sorely missed by family, friends, and fans alike.