Benton Whitley And Holy Cross's Strong California All-Star Game Tradition
From the East-West Shrine Game (Or Bowl), to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Holy Cross players have filled the rosters of California All-Star games.
There will be no shortage of representation of players below the FBS-level in Saturday’s NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. One such player is Holy Cross defensive lineman Benton Whitley, who is the only player from the Patriot League playing in the game on Saturday.
Whitley was an integral piece for a defense that finished first in total defense and 14th in points allowed. He accumulated 5.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss to finish his career with 15.5 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss.
As the title implies, Holy Cross is no stranger to the Golden State when it comes to all-star games. The Crusaders have had seventeen players appear in the East-West Shrine Game when it was in San Francisco and later, Stanford and one more player appear in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Los Angeles.
Of the seventeen Crusaders, some of not only the program’s, but college football’s biggest names have appeared in these games. Arguably, the two most notable names are “Bullet” Bill Osmanski and Gordie Lockbaum.
Osmanski is the only Holy Cross to have his number (#25) retired and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973. He went on to have a distinguished pro career for the Chicago Bears, making four Pro Bowls, one All-Pro team, and earning a spot on the 1940s All-Decade team.
Others are more familiar with Gordie Lockbaum, who gained notoriety in the 80s as a two-way player. Playing defensive back and running back, while also returning kicks, Lockbaum found himself fifth in the Heisman voting in 1986 and third in 1987. Lockbaum scored 27 rushing touchdowns and 17 receiving touchdowns in those two years. His 44 total touchdowns are the most in program history.
Among the other records that Lockbaum holds include all-purpose yards in a season (2173), touchdowns in a game (six vs Dartmouth in 1986), and receptions in a game (15 vs Villanova in 1987). His 2,012 career receiving yards still ranks seventh in program history.
Fittingly, Lockbaum did double-duty on the All-Star circuits playing in the East-West Shrine Game along with the Blue-Gray Classic. Unfortunately, Lockbaum only played defensive back in the Shrine Game.
Many know about Lockbaum, but how many know about his predecessor, John Provost? While Provost did not play both ways, he patrolled the secondary for the Crusaders from 1972-1974 and intercepted a whopping 27 passes in his career, including 10 in 1974. He remains second in FBS history in both interceptions and interception return yardage with 470.
Provost was also an accomplished punt returner, holding the Crusader record for career average with 18.2 yards per return for 418 yards and four touchdowns, also a Holy Cross record. Provost reeled in the accolades like interceptions, earning consensus All-American honors and a spot in the East-West Shrine Bowl at Stanford Stadium.
After Lockbaum’s appearance in the 1988 East-West Shrine Game, a Crusader would not appear in an all-star game at all until quarterback Peter Pujals received an invitation to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in 2018. Pujals finished his career with 11,695 passing yards and 84 touchdowns through the air and 20 more on the ground.
He’s the program leader in attempts and is second in touchdowns, yards, and completions. His best season was in 2015 when he threw for 3514 yards and 28 touchdowns. In the 2018 NFLPA Bowl, Pujals got limited work completing only two of four passes for 13 yards. Pujals would play for the Atlanta Legends of the AAF, completing 4 of 6 passes for 17 yards.
Whitley’s appearance is just another sign of Holy Cross’ return to national prominence . Whitley is the only Crusader playing in an all-star game after the program went 10-3 and earned their first postseason win ever. It is only fitting that one of the stars of this team is in the same conversation as other legends of the Seven Hills like Lockbaum, Provost, and Osmanski.
Holy Cross’ 2019 media guide aided most of the research. Check it out here.