Ben Bennett, a native of California, was Duke's QB from 1980-83 and as a senior, he had a terrific career earning ACC Player of the Year and third-team All-America accolades as a senior. He was the first player in ACC history to earn the conference's Rookie and Player of the Year awards in the same career. What's more, Bennett graduated as the NCAA's all-time leading passer with 9,614 yards.
In 47 career games, Bennett made 46 starts. Along the way, he completed 820-of-1,375 (.596) pass attempts for 9,614 yards and 55 touchdowns.
To this day, he holds or shares 21 Duke passing records. He received ACC Player of the Year honors in both 1982 and 1983.
At the end of his time in Durham, Bennett held the ACC records for passing yards, total offensive yards (9,061), and passing touchdowns. He was a two-time first-team All-ACC honoree (1982-83), and he represented the Blue Devils in the Blue-Gray Classic, Hula Bowl, and Japan Bowl all-star games following his senior campaign.
A sixth-round draft choice of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL, Bennett became a Hall of Famer in the Arena Football League in 2000. Most important, though, is the fact that in 1981 and 1982, he managed to guide Duke to 6-5 records, the only seasons between 1975 and 1987 that Duke had winning records.