ADA, Okla. – Trinity Benson is one of the few former student-athletes from East Central University that can say his time on the ECU Football team propelled him to the National Football League.  The Lewisville, Texas, native is now a member of the Denver Broncos.

In 2019, he became a wide receiver on the practice squad and is currently vying for a spot on the 2020 roster.  According to Benson, ECU is a major reason for his success.

"Believe it or not, but ECU taught me how to just grind," said Benson.  "They taught me how to be a hard worker because nothing was going to come easy. Every team in the conference knows that ECU football has the talent every year and it is all about putting it together."

Benson came to the Tigers in 2015 after a memorable career at Lewisville High School, both on the field and off.  He was on the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in Dallas, added a unanimous All-District 6-6A First Team pick and a THSCA Academic All-State Honorable Mention selection in his senior season.  That last year he recorded 1,036 all-purpose yards and had eight receptions touchdowns and one rushing.

The two-time All-Great American Conference selection then joined ECU and became a key weapon on the offensive side of the ball.  In his four seasons, he missed playing in just one game his freshman season.  He moved onto four ECU Career top-10 lists: No. 3 for 143 receptions, No. 4 for 1,700 receiving yards, No. 8 for 11 reception touchdowns and No. 4 for 100-yard receptions games.

"Some of my best memories at ECU would have to be the tradition that we did with the football team at the beginning of each year when we went to Sheep's Creek," Benson commented.  "I don't really miss the games or practices, but I miss being able to be around my friends and teammates all the time."

He spent just one season under ECU Head Football Coach Al Johnson, but he was still able to make an impact on his life.

"Coach Johnson would always remind me to be the good you," said Benson.  "Sometimes people get into a funk or just don't feel like it or have an attitude and he would always just tell us to be the good you."

That small life saying led Benson into a leadership role on the team in his final season.

"I remember telling some of the younger guys my senior year that you have to be prepared to play your best game every week," commented Benson.  "Our conference is different from other conferences because we don't have a bye week and we don't play non-conference games, so every game means something."

The lessons he learned with the Tigers have now allowed him to fulfill a life-long dream of playing in the NFL.

"It is everything I dreamed of and I love all the ins and outs of it," Benson said.  "Coming from a Division II school you are not fortunate enough to have all the amenities that some of the Division I players get.  When I go to the Broncos it was something that I had to get used to.  It was crazy to me how if you want an ice bath, cryotherapy or see a chiropractor you just walk into the next room and there they are waiting for you."

Now his new life at the Broncos has given him two more connections to ECU. Benson spent two seasons on the Tigers teams with fellow NFL player, David Moore, with both competing for time on the field as a wide receiver. 

Moore, who plays for the Seattle Seahawks, and Benson got to renew their friendly rivalry when they faced each other during a preseason game in 2019.  The duo then took time after the game to make sure and talk to each other and exchange jerseys.
 
Another connection came after the hiring of the new volleyball coach for the Tigers in 2020.  Head coach Cheri Lindsay is the connection, as her younger brother Phillip Lindsay has been a running back for the Broncos for the past three seasons.

"I have met everyone on the team," Benson noted.  "But Phillip Lindsay and I have had several conservations.  We are both undrafted guys so we have that in common."

"It makes me feel good to have the connection to ECU," continued Benson.  "Coach Lindsay, being from Denver and finding the small town of Ada where I went to school just goes to show you that it is a small world."

His life as an athlete started young and that has made a major impact on how he relates to life's challenges, like his new normal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Being an athlete has absolutely given me some skills to get through this situation," Benson stated.  "I have been an athlete my whole life, I remember being out there on a field and being coached by my dad since I was 3 or 4 years old.  Being an athlete teaches you that adversity is going to come.  It is all about how your react to it."

He is currently back in Denton, Texas with his family and the one thing that he said has affected him the most is just not being able to go outside.

"Down here in Texas we have had a lot of good weather and I hate being cooped up in the house, so it is killing me knowing that I can't go out and just work out with other guys," Benson commented.  "It is bothering me, but I am maintaining right now."

While he is forced to spend more time inside, Benson is making the most of it and working on finishing his bachelor's degree in kinesiology at ECU, with just one semester left to earn his degree.