Funeral for Cedric Benson set for Saturday in Austin

Funeral services for Cedric Benson, a University of Texas football great and former NFL player who died in a motorcycle crash Saturday, have been set for this weekend.

Benson died along with 27-year-old Aamna Najam, a recent doctoral graduate from UT, around 10 p.m. after Benson’s motorcycle slammed into a van that attempted to turn left from Mount Bonnell Road onto RM 2222.

Public visitation will be held at the Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar Blvd, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday. Family will be present from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Benson’s funeral will follow on Saturday morning from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. James Missionary Church, 3417 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. A private interment will be held at the Texas State Cemetery after the service.

Benson was a running back who played for the Longhorns from 2001 to 2004. Topping 1,000 yards each season, he gained the second-most rushing yards in the program’s history before being selected by the Chicago Bears in 2005 as the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft. He would later play for the Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals through his eight seasons in the league.

After his football career, he shifted to business development and work for his charity, Nurturing Underprivileged Families Cultivating Educational Development -- NUFCED.

Condolences can be shared with Benson’s family on the Cook-Walden Funeral Home website.