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Giants’ recognition is touching for Benson

Courtesy graphic/photo Brad Benson played 11 seasons with the New York Giants.

Brad Benson was humbled by his selection as one of the top 100 players in the rich history of the New York Giants.

But when he attended the recognition festivities last weekend, which included a lavish dinner at MetLife Stadium and halftime introductions, he felt the honor was magnified.

“I realized how big a deal it was and the company I was in,” the former Altoona Area High School great said earlier this week. “It was incredible.”

What helped make it so was the fact that Benson’s family, particularly his children and grandchildren, could share in the moment.

Benson, 68, has mobility issues from all his post-NFL surgeries so the team provided a golf cart to get him through the parking lot. When it was buzzing past Phil Simms, the ex-star quarterback and Benson’s close friend, Benson offered Simms a ride.

“He sat beside my grandson,” Benson said. “That was neat.”

In the team’s Legacy Club, Benson was unaware he was seated in an area apparently reserved for Eli Manning. When Benson attempted to move, Manning quickly refused, saying, “Don’t you dare. You were here (with the Giants) a long time before me.”

Benson’s kids also thought that was cool.

When he was in extended conversation with former Giant coaches Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin, Benson said, “My son’s eyes lit up.”

The stories flowed throughout the weekend, making Benson even more appreciative of his 11-year career, which included a Super Bowl championship and a Pro Bowl berth, both in 1986, and the fact that he played left tackle for only one team.

“The team started planning this nine months ago,” Benson said. “Getting everybody into town and the hotels and the planning, I was very impressed and appreciative. It was very moving.”

The top-100 list was selected by an independent committee of journalists who covered the Giants and NFL and Pro Football Hall of Fame executives.

Benson sent a personal note to Giants owner John Mara for “all they did and how much they made us feel at home. The Giants are a special organization. I would only compare them with the Rooneys as far as class and structure — the old-fashioned teams that didn’t change hands.”

The players who have passed away were represented, and there were a few hundred extended family members on hand.

“I wanted to make sure I was there,” Todd Benson, Brad’s oldest brother, said. “(Younger brothers) Shawn and Troy had plans, and I wanted the family to be represented. It’s a pretty big honor.”

Todd’s presence “was awesome,” Brad said.

The Bensons are Altoona’s first family in football. Brad launched from Penn State while Todd and Shawn played for Maryland, and Troy, also a former NFL player (New York Jets), captained Pitt.

Benson is proud of his Lakemont and Altoona roots.

From the days growing up under the wings of his grandfather, Forrest Bartholomew, and parents Bill and Joanne to the barber shop owned by the Labriola family, where he was exposed to sports, to being coached by the likes of Earl Strohm and Marty Rusnak, to getting an NFL shot through a tie to Altoona’s Pat Trimble, he’s never forgotten.

“I’m so proud of it (hometown),” he said. “I believe they made me a pro football player. Earl pushed Penn State to take me, and Marty and Jim Torsell made me tough.”

Benson never considered himself a gifted athlete but one instead who thrived on technique, dedication to details, intelligence and desire. He said the Giants immediately recognized his background in wrestling (he was Altoona’s first PIAA champ in 1973).

“Wrestling gave me tremendous balance,” he said.

Not to mention his reliability. Benson started 123 of his 137 career games.

An assistant on the Giants’ staff under Parcells, the great Bill Belichick told NFL Films for a documentary on Benson, “He didn’t have as much talent as other players, but Brad played as close to his potential as any player I’ve ever coached.”

When the weekend concluded and everybody made their way home – Benson still lives in northern New Jersey – the family counted its blessings.

Cayson Benson, 9, had plenty to talk about in school.

“He never realized about his Grandpa,” Brad Benson said.

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.

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