Cedric Benson, Chris Plonsky, Todd Dodge part of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame's 2025 class
Legendary Texas Longhorns running back Cedric Benson, longtime UT administrator Chris Plonsky, and Texas-Ex Todd Dodge were announced as part of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame’s 2025 class on Thursday.
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Benson is in an elite echelon when it comes to football players from the state of Texas. A standout at Midland (Texas) Lee, Benson helped the Rebels win three-straight state championships with a staggering 8423 rushing yards during his time in West Texas. He was on the cover of the 2000 edition of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and eventually signed with the University of Texas.
Benson rushed for 5540 yards as a Longhorn, a number that ranks only behind Ricky Williams in School history. Benson also tallied 64 touchdowns on the ground, also second behind Williams. During his time at Texas, the Longhorns were 43-8 with a win in the 2005 Rose Bowl over Michigan. Benson finished 6th in Heisman voting in 2004 after his fourth consecutive 1000-yard season.
Benson was selected 4th overall in the 2005 draft by the Chicago Bears. Across an eight-year NFL career, Benson rushed for 6017 yards and 32 touchdowns. He notched 1000-yard season for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2009, 2010, and 2011. He retired after spending the 2012 season with the Green Bay Packers.
On August 17, 2019, Benson passed away from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident in Austin. His family as well as Austin ISD launched a mentorship program in his honor in 2021 at the Gus Garcia Young Men’s Leadership Academy.
Plonksy is a longtime member of the UT athletics department and currently serves as the executive senior associates athletic director. The 2024-25 athletic season is her 37th at the University of Texas. She also serves as UT’s senior woman administrator for conference and NCAA governance.
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Plonsky previously was the UT women’s athletic director from April 2001 to December 2017, when Chris Del Conte was hired to oversee both men’s and women’s athletics. During her time as women’s athletics director, the Longhorns won national championships in women’s indoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field, and volleyball. In addition, women’s athletic programs brought home over 60 Big 12 championships during her tenure.
Plonsky has received a number of honors in her career, including being named an outstanding contributor to women’s basketball by the Atlanta Tipoff Club in 2023 among countless others.
Dodge, a longtime high school coach with seven state championships and over 230 wins, was an outstanding player at Port Arthur Jefferson before his time in the burnt orange. He amassed over 2700 yards and 18 touchdowns as a quarterback for the Longhorns and was a key part of Texas’ efforts during the 1983 and 1984 season. As a coach, he won state championships at Southlake Carroll and at Austin Westlake before heading to Lucas Lovejoy following a brief retirement.
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Other inductees in the 2025 class include Todd Dodge, Brittney Griner, Ed Jones, Biz Mackey, Carla Overbeck, and Richmond Webb. The induction ceremony will be at the BASE at Extraco Events Center in Waco on February, 15, 2025. More details can be found here.
