Former National Football League (NFL) and University of Texas running back Cedric Benson was breathed his last at 36 following a motorcycle crash in Texas on Saturday night.
His family confirmed his death to the Austin American-Statesman on Sunday.
Benson played for the Longhorns from 2001-04 and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons, including 1,834 yards as a senior.
He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back in 2004, then was drafted No 4 overall the following year by the Chicago Bears.
At the time he left Texas, he was No 6 on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rushing list in yards gained and is still is No 10 on the all-time list.
The enthusiast spent three seasons in Chicago but achieved his greatest success with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played from 2008-11. In three of those seasons, he surpassed 1,000 yards rushing.
He signed as a free agent with Green Bay before the 2012 season, but his year and his career ended in October when he suffered a broken foot.
In his NFL career, Benson rushed for 6,017 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Benson returned to Austin after his playing career and set up a foundation, NUFCED, to aid underprivileged children and families. Those efforts included helping repair damage at the home of the first victim killed in a series of bombings in Austin early 2018.