Ouachita Baptist University Athletics

Benson walked the sidelines as the head football coach at Ouachita from 1965 to 1995, recording the most coaching wins in college football history in Arkansas at the time with a record of 162-140-8 during his 31 seasons. He led the Tigers to four conference championships and two trips to the NAIA national playoffs. He coached 16 All-America honorees and 208 all-conference selections. He was named the Arkansas Intercollegiate Coach of the Year four times.

In addition to being a member of the inaugural Ouachita Athletic Hall of Fame, Benson is also a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of Fame.

The Ouachita position was Benson’s first and only collegiate head coaching job after four years as an assistant coach. During his tenure as head coach, the Tigers earned the program’s 300th and 400th milestone victories. Following his retirement from coaching, Benson served as Ouachita’s athletic director until 1998.

During almost four decades at Ouachita, Benson was known for his dedication to the university and his commitment to prepare student-athletes for successful lives. “If a kid can stick it out with us for four years, he will end up being a pretty successful person,” he was fond of saying.

On the collegiate level, Benson played for the University of Arkansas and is best remembered as a leader on the 1954 team that won a Southwest Conference championship. He lettered as a Razorback in 1954 and 1955.

Benson passed away April 22, 2011 at the age of 77.