Benjamin Malone Jr. (February 3, 1952 – March 19, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 1974 NFL draft. He also played for the Washington Redskins.
| No. 32, 25 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | February 3, 1952 Tyler, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Died: | March 19, 2020 (aged 68) Tempe, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 193 lb (88 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Santa Cruz Valley Union (AZ) | ||||||
| College: | Arizona State | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1974 / Round: 2 / Pick: 47 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
Early life edit
Malone grew up in Eloy, Arizona and attended Santa Cruz Valley Union High School.
College career edit
He played college football at Arizona State and was selected in the second round (47th overall) of the 1974 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.
At Arizona State in 1971 he ran for 857 yards and 4 TD while averaging 8.2 yards per carry. 1973 he ran for 1,129 yards and 15 TD while averaging 6.4 yards per carry.[1] He joined the Sun Devil Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.[2]
Professional career edit
Miami Dolphins edit
Malone was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round (47th overall selection) of the 1974 NFL draft. He played for the Dolphins from 1974 to 1977. In his Miami career, Malone carried the ball 503 times totaling 2,129 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. His most significant contribution came in the 1974 Divisional Playoff game at the Oakland Raiders. Playing for the injured Mercury Morris, Malone ran for 83 yards on 14 carries, including a 23-yard touchdown run with 2:08 remaining that appeared to give Miami the win. But the Raiders scored with 26 seconds left. The TD play became known as "The Sea of Hands" catch.[3][4]
Washington Redskins edit
Six games into the 1978 season, Malone was traded to the Washington Redskins.[5] He played for the Washington Redskins for the 1978 and 1979 seasons.[6]
NFL career statistics edit
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season edit
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1974 | MIA | 13 | 3 | 117 | 479 | 4.1 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 13 | 0 |
| 1975 | MIA | 10 | 0 | 65 | 220 | 3.4 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 23.5 | 43 | 0 |
| 1976 | MIA | 14 | 12 | 186 | 797 | 4.3 | 31 | 4 | 9 | 103 | 11.4 | 36 | 0 |
| 1977 | MIA | 14 | 8 | 129 | 615 | 4.8 | 66 | 5 | 4 | 58 | 14.5 | 35 | 0 |
| 1978 | MIA | 6 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 3.0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| WAS | 9 | 1 | 27 | 92 | 3.4 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 19 | 0 | |
| 1979 | WAS | 16 | 16 | 176 | 472 | 2.7 | 14 | 3 | 13 | 137 | 10.5 | 55 | 1 |
| 82 | 40 | 706 | 2,693 | 3.8 | 66 | 19 | 33 | 400 | 12.1 | 55 | 1 | ||
Playoffs edit
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1974 | MIA | 1 | 1 | 14 | 83 | 5.9 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 14 | 83 | 5.9 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Personal life and death edit
Malone's brother Art Malone also played running back at Arizona State and in the NFL.[7]
He died on March 19, 2020, aged 68 from complications due to diabetes.[8]
References edit
- ^ "Benny Malone College Stats | College Football at Sports-Reference.com".
- ^ "asu-football-great-art-malone-dies-at-64". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
- ^ "The Sea of Hands Game". www.raiders.com. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
- ^ "Miami Dolphins All Time Depth Chart – Running Back #4". The Phinsider. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
- ^ "Former NFL running back Art Malone dies at 64". August 2012. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
- ^ "Benny Malone". NFL.com. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
- ^ "Benny Malone Stats". Pro Football Reference.
- ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (March 20, 2020). "ASU Hall of Fame running back Ben Malone dies at age 68". azcentral. Retrieved March 20, 2020.