Benjamin Malone, Jr. (February 3, 1952 – March 19, 2020) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

. He played in college at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. He was drafted in the second-round (47th overall selection) in the

1974 NFL draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have h ...

by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

. He also played for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

Early life

Malone grew up in

Eloy, Arizona Eloy is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States, approximately northwest of Tucson and about southeast of Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census estimates in 2019, the population of the city is 19,625. History In 1880, as tracks were ...

and attended

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School Santa Cruz Valley Union High School is a high school in Eloy, Arizona. It is the only school under the jurisdiction of the Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District. Notable alumni * Art Malone and Benny Malone Benjamin Malone, Jr. (Februar ...

College career

He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

and was drafted in the second round (47th overall) of the

1974 NFL Draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have h ...

by the

. 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. He joined the Sun Devil Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Malone was drafted by the

in the second round (47th overall selection) of the

. He played for the Dolphins from 1974–1977. 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 The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. Playing for the injured

Mercury Morris Eugene Edward "Mercury" Morris (born January 5, 1947) is a former American football running back and kick returner. He played for seven years, primarily for the Miami Dolphins, in the American Football League (AFL) as a rookie in 1969, then ...

, 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 The Sea of Hands refers to a significant play during the 1974–75 NFL playoffs. The Miami Dolphins were facing the Oakland Raiders in an American Football Conference (AFC) Divisional playoff game on December 21, 1974 at Oakland–Alameda County ...

" catch.

Washington Redskins

Six games into the 1978 season, Malone was traded to the

. He played for the Washington Redskins for the 1978 and 1979 seasons.

Personal life and death

Malone's brother

Art Malone Arthur Malone (June 3, 1936 – March 29, 2013; Tampa, Florida) was an American race car driver who was successful in both drag racing and American open-wheel car racing, an unusual combination of skills. Career Malone is known primarily ...

also played running back at Arizona State and in the NFL. He died on March 19, 2020, aged 68 from complications due to diabetes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Benny 1952 births 2020 deaths People from Eloy, Arizona Sportspeople from the Phoenix metropolitan area Sportspeople from Tyler, Texas Players of American football from Arizona Players of American football from Texas American football running backs Arizona State Sun Devils football players Miami Dolphins players Washington Redskins players Deaths from diabetes