Albert Benbrook

{{Short description|American football player (1887–1943)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox college football player | name = Albert Benbrook | image = Albert Benbrook 1910.jpg | caption = Benbrook in 1910 (from Michigan football team photograph) | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth-date|August 24, 1887}} | birth_place = [[Texas]], U.S. | death_date = {{death-date|August 16, 1943}} (aged 55) | death_place = [[Dallas]], Texas, U.S. | currentposition =[[Guard (American football)|Guard]] | highlights= * 2× Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1909 College Football All-America Team|1909]], [[1910 College Football All-America Team|1910]]) * 3× First-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Western]] ([[1908 All-Western college football team|1908]],[[1909 All-Western college football team|1909]], [[1910 All-Western college football team|1910]]) * First-team All-Service ([[1917 All-Service football team|1917]]) | school= | pastschools=[[Michigan Wolverines football|Michigan]] (1908–1910) | CFBHOF_id = 1240 | CFBHOF_year = 1971 }}

'''Albert "Benny" Benbrook''' (August 24, 1887 – August 16, 1943) was an American [[American football|football]] [[guard (American football)|guard]] who played for the [[University of Michigan]] [[Michigan Wolverines football|Wolverines]] from 1908 to 1910. He was chosen by [[Walter Camp]] as a first-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] in 1909 and 1910 and was Michigan's team captain in 1910. He is considered one of the best college football linemen in the early years of the sport. He served in the military and later had a career in the office furniture and seating businesses. He was posthumously elected to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1971.

==Early years==

Benbrook was a born in 1887 at either [[Benbrook, Texas|Benbrook]], or [[Fort Worth, Texas]]. His father, Monroe Benbrook (1860-1927), was an Illinois native, and his mother, Lilly (Draper) Benbrook (1864-1934), was an immigrant from Canada.<ref>Census entry for Monroe Benbrook and family. Son Albert born Aug 1887 in Texas. Census Place: Chicago Ward 26, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 277; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0811; FHL microfilm: 1240277. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line].</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Death Notices|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=August 8, 1927|page=26|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10540253/death_notice_monroe_benbrook/}}</ref> The family moved to [[Chicago]] in 1898. He was a "weight man" and football player at Chicago's prestigious [[Morgan Park Academy]] before enrolling at Michigan.<ref name=Last>{{cite news|title=Their Last and Best: Michigan and Syracuse Meet Saturday|publisher=[[Syracuse Herald]]|date=November 15, 1908}}</ref>

==All-American football player at Michigan==

Benbrook enrolled at the [[University of Michigan]] in 1907 and played on the "scrubs" team as a freshman.<ref name=Last /> He made the varsity football team in 1908 and was the second heaviest man on the team behind the team's captain [[Germany Schulz]].<ref name=Last />

===1909 season=== In 1909, Benbrook started all seven of the Wolverines' games at left guard. He helped lead the team to a 6-1 record, including wins over [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]] (33-6), [[Syracuse Orange|Syracuse]] (43-0), [[University of Pennsylvania|Penn]] (12-6), and [[Minnesota Golden Gophers football|Minnesota]] (15-6). The team's only loss was an 11-3 defeat against [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|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. At the end of the 1909 season, Benbrook was selected by [[Walter Camp]] as a first-team guard on the [[1909 College Football All-America Team]]. He was one of two players from outside the Ivy League to be picked for Camp's first team.<ref>{{cite news|title=Benbrook on All-American|newspaper=The Michigan Daily|date=December 15, 1909|page=1|url=https://digital.bentley.umich.edu/midaily/mdp.39015071730829/233}}</ref> He was also the unanimous choice of 13 eastern critics who met to select the All-American team.<ref name=Trenches>{{cite news|title=Football Star Will Soon Be In Trenches|publisher=The Ogden Standard|date=April 1, 1918|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10527911/football_star_will_soon_be_in_trenches/}}</ref>

===1910 season=== In January 1910, Benbrook was elected captain of the Michigan team. He initially lost a close election to end, J. Joy Miller, but Miller was barred from the team.<ref>{{cite news|title=Benbrook Elected Captain of Michigan 1910 Football Team|publisher=The Inter Ocean|page=4|date=January 8, 1909|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10534950/benbrook_elected_captain_of_michigan/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Benbrook Elected Football Captain|newspaper=The Michigan Daily|date=January 8, 1910|page=1|url=https://digital.bentley.umich.edu/midaily/mdp.39015071730829/273}}</ref> Miller was removed by the faculty when it was learned he had failed to enroll in classes in the fall of 1909.<ref>{{cite news| title=Untitled Photograph and Caption, Page Two|publisher=Waterloo Daily Times-Tribune|date=January 8, 1910|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10534950/benbrook_elected_captain_of_michigan/}}</ref>

In the summer of 1910, Benbrook challenged [[heavyweight]] boxing champion [[Jack Johnson]] to a [[boxing]] match.<ref>{{cite news| title=Many Want to Fight Jack Johnson|publisher=Lowell Sun|date=August 10, 1910}}</ref>

The [[1910 Michigan Wolverines football team]] finished with a 3-0-3 record. In one of the lowest scoring seasons in school history, the team scored only 29 points and allowed only nine points. They played to a scoreless tie against [[University of Pennsylvania|Penn]], and played to 3-3 ties against both [[1910 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]] and [[Case Western Reserve University|Case]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fballam/aabenbr.htm |title=1910 Football Team|publisher=University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library |accessdate=December 19, 2007}}</ref>

The final game of the 1910 season was the [[Little Brown Jug (college football trophy)|Little Brown Jug]] game against [[1910 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team|Minnesota]]. [[Fielding H. Yost]] rated the 1910 Minnesota game as one of "the greatest game he ever saw."<ref name=BrownJug>{{cite news| title=Battle for Little Brown Jug|publisher=The Bessemer (Mich.) Herald|date=November 2, 1945|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10527911/football_star_will_soon_be_in_trenches/}}</ref> According to accounts of the game, Benbrook and [[Stanfield Wells]] were "at their very peak that day," as Michigan won, 6-0.<ref name=BrownJug /> There was no score late in the game, when a forward pass took Michigan to the Minnesota three-yard line. After Michigan ran twice without success, Benbrook called for a run to his side. Pushing Minnesota tacklers aside he opened a hole that led to a touchdown and the only scoring of the game.<ref name=CFHOF />

At the end of the 1910, Benbrook was selected by Walter Camp for the second consecutive year as a first-team player on his [[1910 College Football All-America Team]]. In announcing the selection, Camp said: "Benbrook is a born player. Last year he showed great strength and dash, and an ability to follow the ball; this year he has improved in every line and there is no match for him on the gridiron."<ref>{{cite news|title=Two Michigan Men on All-American: Walter Camp Honors Benbrook and Wells with Places on Honor Eleven|newspaper=The Michigan Daily|page=1|date=December 13, 1910|url=https://digital.bentley.umich.edu/midaily/mdp.39015071730712/241}}</ref> When ''Outlook'' magazine selected its "honor list" for 1910, Benbrook was the only player unanimously chosen for a position.<ref>{{cite news|title=Magazine Praises Three Wolverines|newspaper=The Michigan Daily|date=December 20, 1910|page=1|url=https://digital.bentley.umich.edu/midaily/mdp.39015071730712/265}}</ref>

==Honors and accolades== The University of Michigan Athletics History web site describes Benbrook's contributions this way: "Football critics regard Benbrook as the first of the great running guards. Despite his giant 240 pound frame, Benbrook moved with cat-like quickness and was faster than most backs."<ref name=Benbrook>{{cite web|url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fballam/aabenbr.htm |title=University of Michigan Football All-American, 1909, 1910; Team Captain, 1910; Albert Benbrook, Guard|publisher=The Regents of the University of Michigan |year=2002|accessdate=2007-12-19}}</ref>

After choosing Benbrook to his All-American teams in 1909 and 1910, [[Walter Camp]] said of Benbrook: "He leads his mates across the line with his quick, ripping charge that simply smothers the opposition. A tremendous player."<ref name=Benbrook />

[[Walter Eckersall]] described Benbrook as the greatest guard in history.<ref name=CDT43>{{cite news|title=Benbrook, Old Time Football Star, Is Dead|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=August 16, 1943|page=23|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10527765/benbrook_old_time_football_star_is/}}</ref> And in 1951, legendary [[Illinois Fighting Illini football|Illinois]] coach [[Robert Zuppke]] chose Benbrook as a guard for his first-team All-Time All-American team.<ref>{{cite news| title=Zuppke Selects All-Time Grid Machines|newspaper=The Ogden Standard-Examiner|date=February 18, 1951|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10535307/zuppke_selects_alltime_grid_machines/}}</ref> Another writer concluded: "There have been many great linesmen, but his record and the verdict of many experts seems to put Benbrook in advance of them all."<ref name=Trenches />

In 1971, he was posthumously inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|title=14 Old-Time Gridders Receive Special Honor|publisher=Lubbock (TX) Avalanche-Journal|date=March 21, 1971|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10535525/14_oldtime_gridders_receive_special/}}</ref> Benbrook's biography at the Hall of Fame notes: "A testament to the ability of Albert Benbrook was that he was the first western linemen to become a two-time All-American. Weighing over 200 pounds he was considered huge for his time. What made Benbrook such a dominating force was his exceptional quickness".<ref name=CFHOF>{{cite web| title=Albert "Benny" Benbrook|url={{College Football HoF/url|id=1240}}|publisher=National Football Foundation|accessdate=December 19, 2007}}</ref>

In 2005, he was selected as one of the 100 greatest Michigan football players of all time by the "Motown Sports Revival," ranking 22nd on the all-time team.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://motownsportsrevival.blogspot.com/2005/08/100-greatest-michigan-football-players.html|title=100 Greatest Michigan Football Players of All-Time |accessdate=2007-12-09|publisher=Motown Sports Revival}}</ref>

==Service in World War I== When Benbrook enlisted in the [[U.S. Army]] during [[World War I]], his participation received considerable publicity. In November 1917, eight All-American football players, including Benbrook and Michigan's [[James B. Craig]] and [[Ernest Allmendinger]], were made officers in a ceremony in [[Chicago]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Many Athletes Made Officers: Eight All-American Football Men Receive Commissions from Fort Sheridan|publisher=The Indianapolis Star|date=November 29, 1917|page=17|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10527807/many_athletes_made_officers/}}</ref> In March 1918, Benbrook's photograph was published in newspapers around the country with the following caption: "Al Benbrook, the old Michigan football star and regarded by many as the greatest guard ever developed in America is soon to buck the [[Hun]]'s line in the greatest game of all. Benbrook is now a lieutenant stationed at [[Camp Zachary Taylor]]."<ref>{{cite news|title=All-American Star of Grid Soon To Buck The Hun Line|publisher=The Ogden (UT) Standard|date=March 25, 1918|page=3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10527841/allamerican_star_of_grid_soon_to_buck/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=All-American Star of Grid Soon To Buck The Hun Line|publisher=Elmira (NY) Star-Gazette|date=March 25, 1918|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10527868/allamerican_star_of_grid_soon_to_buck/}}</ref> An article published the following month featured the same theme: "The foremost football guard ever developed is soon to go over to buck the [[Hun]] line in the greatest game of all".<ref name=Trenches />

==Family and later years== Benbrook married Dena Prehl on January 7, 1914, in Chicago.<ref>Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois, Marriages Index, 1871-1920 [database on-line].</ref> They had a son, James Benbrook, born in approximately 1922.<ref name=DFPobit/> The lived in the [[Rogers Park, Chicago|Rogers Park]] section of Chicago.

Benbrook was employed in the office furniture and seating business throughout his adult life. During the 1920s, he was a member of his father's office furniture business (Monroe Benbrook & Co., also known as Monroe Benbrook & Son) in Chicago.<ref name=CDT21/><ref>{{cite news|title=Inspect New DeKalb County Court House|newspaper=Garrett (IN) Clipper|date=August 21, 1924|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10527417/inspect_new_dekalb_county_court_house/}}</ref> He also served as an official for [[Big Ten Conference]] football games.<ref name=CDT21>{{cite news|title=Ex-Athletes "Make Good" (No. 24)|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=April 5, 1921|page=22|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10527325/exathletes_make_good_no_24/}}</ref> He was employed as a salesman by [[American Seating|American Seating Company]] from 1931 until his death in 1943.<ref name=Obituary>{{cite news|title=Albert Benbrook, Ex-Michigan Grid Star, Dies Sunday|publisher=New Castle News (Penn.)|date=August 16, 1943|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10525777/albert_benbrook_exmichigan_grid_star/}}</ref>

In August 1943, Benbrook died at age 55 of a [[coronary occlusion]] while on a business trip in [[Dallas]].<ref name=Obituary /><ref name=DFPobit>{{cite news|title=Michigan Loses Grid Immortal in Death of Albert Benbrook, First of Great Running Guards|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=August 17, 1943|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10525804/michigan_loses_grid_immortal_in_death/}}</ref><ref>Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics, Standard Certificate of Death for Albert Benbrook, born August 27, 1886, traveling salesman for American Seating Co., son of Monroe and Lillie Benbrook. Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982 [database on-line].</ref> He was buried at the Acacia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago.

==See also== * [[List of Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans]]

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== * {{CFBHOF|1240}} * [https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fballam/aabenbr.htm Bentley Library Profile and Photograph of Albert Benbrook]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benbrook, Albert}} [[Category:1887 births]] [[Category:1943 deaths]] [[Category:American football guards]] [[Category:Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football players]] [[Category:Michigan Wolverines football players]] [[Category:All-American college football players]] [[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]] [[Category:Morgan Park Academy alumni]] [[Category:Players of American football from Chicago]]