André Benn
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| No. 11 – Tijuana Luchadores | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Wide Receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | May 27, 2035 (aged 26) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Username: | Ben |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Tri-Cities High School |
| College: | Arizona State University |
| ISFL Draft: | 2060 / Round: 2 / Pick: 20 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2059 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Active |
André Benn (born May 27, 2035) is an American football wide receiver for the Tijuana Luchadores of the Developmental Simulation Football League (DSFL). He played college football for Arizona State University (Arizona State). He was drafted by the New Orleans Second Line with the sixth pick of the second round (20th overall) in the 2060 ISFL Draft .
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Early years
André Benn was born in Atlanta, Georgia on May 27, 2035, the only child of real-estate seller Sharon Benn. His single mother raised him in Atlanta, East Point, and Buckhead, where he attended Sarah Smith Elementary School, Sutton Middle School, Northside High School, McClarin Success Academy, and Tri-Cities High School. He played wide receiver, defensive back and returned kicks for the Tri-cities Bulldogs football team and was honorable mention All-State as a senior. Benn also competed for the Tri-cities high school track team, receiving All-State honors there as well.
While in high school he showed a keen interest in the arts, painting and learning guitar at school and releasing hip hop albums with his friends outside of school. These albums showed elements of trip hop, soul, and jungle. The albums were also influenced by a return to traditional black music genres, with funk being the most prominent example. Benn's lyrics, in particular, were noted for their surreal, space-age tinge: "the funkadelic, futuristic, and seemingly unfamiliar, weird, or eccentric persona projected by André creates the chance to transcend the more pronounced characterizations of gangstas and pimps so regularly assumed by black men rap artists."
College career
André Benn began his collegiate football career at Clark Atlanta University. As a freshman, he caught 29 passes for 573 yards and five touchdowns and was named All-SIAC Conference. He was named a Division II All-American in his sophomore season after recording 60 receptions for 960 yards and 14 touchdowns while also returning 11 kickoffs for 418 yards and two touchdowns and 14 punts for 313 yards and a touchdown. He finished his Clark Atlanta Panthers career with 2,499 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns. Benn committed to transfer to Arizona State for the final two years of his NCAA eligibility over offers from Colorado State, Kansas, Tennessee, and Alabama.He chose Arizona State because it was one of the few schools that recruited him to play wide receiver, instead as only a return specialist or planned to move him to the defensive side of the ball.
In his first year with the Sun Devils, Benn had 34 catches for 484 yards and three touchdowns with an additional 381 total return yards. Benn was named third-team preseason All-Pac-12 Conference going into his senior season. He was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after catching seven passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns in a 38–34 win over Washington State. Benn was also named the conference Special Teams Player of the Week after posting 44 kickoff return yards and 76 punt return yards, 63 of which came on his first return for a touchdown at ASU, against Oregon State. He also had a career high 10 receptions for 173 receiving yards and a touchdown in the game and his 293 all-purpose yards were the fifth-most in a single game in school history. Benn finished the season with 65 receptions for 1,224 yards and nine touchdowns, returned 14 punts for 226 yards and one touchdown and 14 kickoffs for 446 yards, and was named first-team All-Pac-12 as both a wide receiver and as a return specialist.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 2057 | Arizona State | 13 | 34 | 484 | 14.2 | 32 | 3 |
| 2058 | Arizona State | 12 | 65 | 1224 | 18.8 | 55 | 9 |
Professional career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
205 lb (93 kg) |
4.5 s | 40 in (1.02 m) |
10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) |
11 reps | 23 |
Professional career statistics
| Career statistics | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 2059 (S44) | Luchadores | 14 | 61 | 836 | 13.7 | 44 | 4 |
| 2060 (S45) | Luchadores | 14 | 66 | 978 | 14.8 | 91 | 12 |
| 2061 (S46) | Luchadores | 14 | 89 | 1589 | 17.9 | 92 | 18 |
| 2062 (S47) | Luchadores | 12 | 87 | 1436 | 16.5 | 93 | 16 |
DSFL career
Andre Benn was drafted in the first round of the 2059 (S44) DSFL draft, seventh overall, by the Tijuana Luchadores. Fellow wide receiver Pitter Patter and running back Kit Fisto were also taken as Tijuana looked to upgrade their offense after losing the Ultimini championship to the Portland Pythons the year prior. The revamped offense helped the Luchadores to an 11-3 record. The ball was shared around by the multiple weapons they had, but the main benefactor was quarterback C.G Breezy Jr. who would win league MVP. A close SFC championship win over the Birddogs (24-21) saw the Luchadores returning to the Ultimini championship game. It would be a rematch against the Pythons, who had also managed an 11-3 record on the season. Tijuana got their revenge, winning 37-20, in a game where rookies Benn, Patter and Fisto each scored a touchdown.
In the offseason Benn entered the 2060 ISFL Draft , he was drafted by the New Orleans Second Line with the sixth pick of the second round (20th overall). He signed a three year contract with NOLA including an agreement he would remain in the DSFL with Tijuana until both parties agreed he was ready to move up to the ISFL.
2060 (S45) saw Tijuana continue their winning ways, only dropping one game all season on their way to a dominant 13-1 record. The core pieces of the offense remained together, dynamic receiving duo Patter and Benn were both top 5 receivers in the league, combining for 26 touchdowns on the season. Patter would lead the two receivers with 1286 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Breezy Jr. broke the DSFL record with a 112.3 passer rating. The team was feeling hot heading into the playoffs where they would once again face the Birddogs in the SFC championship, a game that Kit Fisto would take over, scoring four touchdowns in a 41-16 victory. The Pythons had lost to the Coyotes in the north so Tijuana would be facing Kansas City in their attempt to win back to back Ultiminis. The Luchadores went up early off the back of two Andre Benn touchdowns in the first quarter. Draft mates Patter and Fisto added a touchdown each themselves in the second quarter, meaning the game was all but over at halftime. Final score 37-16.
In 2061 (S46) the Tijuana Luchadores would lose star quarterback C.G. Breezy Jr. to the ISFL. Anyone who thought that meant the offense would be slowed down was sorely mistaken. Rookie quarterback Puddles O'Duck had the pleasure of throwing to the top two receivers in the league, combining for 3087 receiving yards, Patter tying the DSFL receiving touchdown record with 17 TDs, and Benn breaking it with 18. He also had the leagues leading rusher in Corey Trevor. These weapons would help O'Duck to win offensive player of the year and performance of the year in week 10 where he threw for five touchdowns against the Pythons, three to Patter and two to Benn. This record breaking season would also win Andre Benn the league MVP. His best game was in week five, also against the Pythons, where he caught all of his 10 targets for 228 yards and three touchdowns.
These awards were afterthoughts to the Luchadores as they entered the playoffs though, they had their eyes set on a threepeat. A 10-4 record meant they sat atop the SFC standings as usual and would once again face the Dallas Birddogs in the championship for the fourth year in a row. The previous three defeats obviously motivated the Birddogs and they fought hard in a game with five lead changes. A game that Benn failed to show up for after his breakout season. Dallas won 23-20 and would go on to win the Ultimini Championship against London.
O'Duck would command the offense again going into 2062 (S47). After his MVP season the year prior Benn would look to capitalise on his connection with the sophomore quarterback in his last season of DSFL eligibility. The offense would look slightly different around them, second year tight end Bob Kronkowski and running back Brandon Johnson stepping up to starting positions after Patter, Fisto and Trevor all moved up to the ISFL ranks. Rookie receivers Lawrence Crawford and Nick DeFanco were the only offensive additions in a draft where Tijuana focused on retooling the defense looking ahead to another championship run.
Achievements and records
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