Albert Benbrook

Albert Benbrook

Benbrook in 1910 (from Michigan football team photograph)
Michigan Wolverines
Position	Guard
Career history
College	Michigan (1908–1910)
Personal information
Date of birth	August 24, 1887 (1887-08-24)
Place of birth	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Date of death	August 16, 1943 (1943-08-17) (aged 55)
Place of death	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Career highlights and awards
All-American (1909, 1910)
College Football Hall of Fame (1971)

Albert "Benny" Benbrook (August 24, 1887 – August 16, 1943) was an American football guard who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1908–1910. He was chosen by Walter Camp as an All-American in 1909 and 1910 and was the team’s captain in 1910. He is considered one of the best college football linemen in the early years of the sport, and he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

Benbrook was a native of Benbrook, TX (born in Ft. Worth) and moved to Chicago in 1898. He was a “weight man” and football player at Chicago’s prestigious Morgan Park Academy before enrolling at Michigan.

Benbrook played on the “scrubs” team as a freshman in 1907, before making the varsity squad in 1908. As a sophomore in 1908, he was the second heaviest man on the team behind the team’s captain Germany Schulz.

In 1909, Benbrook started all seven of the Wolverines’ games at left guard and was the team’s only All-American. He helped lead the team to a 6-1 record, including wins over Ohio State (33-6), Syracuse (43-0), Penn (12-6), and Minnesota (15-6). The team’s only loss was an 11-3 defeat against Notre Dame on November 6, 1909. No other team scored more than six points against the Wolverines that year, and they outscored their opponents 115 to 34.

In 1909, Benbrook drew attention when he announced that he wanted to challenge heavyweight champion Jack Johnson to a boxing match.