“Big Al”, as he was often referred to by Bristol High teammates in the 1950s, starred in football and track at the school before going on to team with the great Jim Brown in 1956 on the Syracuse University gridiron squad.

An Intense athlete, Benecick helped the Orangemen compile a 20-7-1 record during this three-year varsity career with trips to both the Cotton and Orange Bowls, and while there, achieved All-American status.

After college, Benecick signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and spent 10 years with them as one of the league’s finest linesmen. A highlight of this stay was being a member of the Roughriders’ 1966 Grey Cup championship team, the CFL’s equivalent of the NFL’s Super Bowl. He was inducted into the CFL’s Hall of Fame in 1996.

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