Guy Benjamin

Infobox NFLretired


|caption=
width=
position=Quarterback
number=10
birthdate=birth date and age|1955|6|27
Los Angeles, California
deathdate=
debutyear=1978
finalyear=1983
draftyear=1978
draftround=2
draftpick=97
college=Stanford
teams=
* Miami Dolphins (1978-1979)
* New Orleans Saints (1980)
* San Francisco 49ers (1981-1983)
stat1label=TD-INT
stat1value=3-3
stat2label=Yards
stat2value=439
stat3label=QB Rating
stat3value=73.1
nfl=BEN145348
highlights=
* Sammy Baugh Trophy (1977)
* 1x Super Bowl champion (XVI)

Guy Emory Benjamin (born June 27, 1955 in Hollywood, California) is a retired American football quarterback who played six seasons in the in the National Football League.

College career

Benjamin played high school football at James Monroe High School in Sepulveda, California and enrolled at Stanford University in 1974. Initially, he shared starting duties with Mike Cordova, but he took over as full-time starter in 1976. In 1977, under coach Bill Walsh, Benjamin led Stanford to a 24-14 victory over LSU in the 1977 Sun Bowl. That season, Benjamin won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, awarded to the top passer in college football.

NFL career

Benjamin was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 1978 NFL Draft. He played two seasons behind Bob Griese and Don Strock, then spent one season as Archie Manning's backup with the New Orleans Saints. He was reunited with Bill Walsh when he joined the San Francisco 49ers in 1981, where he earned a Super Bowl ring as Joe Montana's backup in Super Bowl XVI.

After football

After leaving football, Benjamin served as director of [http://athletesunitedforpeace.org Athletes United for Peace] , an organization founded by Olympic athletes after the United States' boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Benjamin founded the Sports in Society Institute at New College of California and directed the school's degree completion program for former student-athletes.cite press release| title =Guy Benjamin| publisher =Athletes United for Peace| url=http://www.athletesunitedforpeace.org/benjamin.html| accessdate = 2007-02-05 ]

Benjamin lives in Hawaii, where he has coached the Hawaii Hammerheads of the Indoor Professional Football League to the league championship in 1999, the team's only season. Benjamin then became the first head coach of the IPFL's Portland Prowlers before returning to Hawaii, where he coached the Hawaiian Islanders of the Arena Football League's minor league, af2.

Today, Benjamin is a director at [http://www.hawaiimedic.com/ Hawaii Medical Institute] .cite news| last =Kroichick| first =Ron| title =Former 49ers feel discarded| publisher =ScrippsNews| date =January 22, 2007| url =http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/18761| accessdate =2007-02-05 ]

References