NFF National Scholar-Athletes
Sam Benger, RB – Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.)
Business Administration – 3.67 GPA
Head Coach: Rich Lackner | Athletics Director: Josh Centor
Faculty Athletics Representative: Susan Polansky
An All-American on and off the field, Sam Benger’s remarkable accomplishments rank him among the most decorated student-athletes in Carnegie Mellon history. The Hingham, Mass., native becomes the Tartans’ fourth NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
A two-time Academic All-American, Benger earned First Team honors in 2016 and Second Team laurels in 2015. A five-time member of the Dean’s List, he was twice named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll, the UAA President’s Scholar-Athlete Team and the Academic All-UAA team. Maintaining an impressive 3.67 GPA in business administration, he interned at Deloitte and is expected to graduate in May 2018.
Benger rushed 140 times for 864 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 15 receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns. He earned PAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for 204 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Thiel (Pa.). The game marked Benger’s eighth 200-yard game of his career, and his 58 career rushing touchdowns are one shy of the school record.
A two-time First Team All-American, Benger garnered back-to-back PAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2016 and 2015. CMU’s all-time leading rusher with 5,197 yards, he also boasts seven other school records, including single-season marks for rushing yards and touchdowns and single-game rushing yards. In 2015, the three-time All-PAC and All-UAA selection led all of Division III with 2,092 rushing yards and 190.2 yards per game. The impressive feat made Benger just the 21st player in Division III history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in a single season.
An avid volunteer, Benger has visited with transplant patients at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital and helped to renovate a dilapidated school as part of Impact Day. A type 1 diabetic, he served as a mentor for juvenile diabetics in the Pittsburgh area and volunteers for the Special Olympics at CMU. Benger also regularly interacts with a special needs child as a team leader for CMU’s Team IMPACT, and he organized a student “Shark Tank”-style competition aimed at developing solutions to Pittsburgh’s social issues. Benger has been a consultant at Deloitte, a management consultant firm.
