Haps Benfer
Encyclopedia
Harold A. "Haps" Benfer (c. 1893 – January 2, 1966) was an American football
and basketball
player and college coach and administrator. He was selected as a first-team All-American fullback
while playing for Albright College
in 1914. He later spent 40 years as an athletic coach and administrator at Muhlenberg College
.
, Benfer was the son of a prominent Evangelical minister. Benfer became a five-sport star athlete at William Penn High School. He became the first York County basketball player to score 1,000 points in basketball. His 1,101 points scored for William Penn High School, including 531 points as a junior, was the school's career scoring record for nearly 70 years, and he also set the school's single-game scoring record with 50 points against Steelton on January 6, 1911. Benfer was also a star for William Penn's football team for three years and played goalkeeper on the school's first soccer team in 1910.
After graduating from York High School, Benfer enrolled at Albright College
in Reading, Pennsylvania
. At Albright, he played football, basketball and baseball. He played fullback
for the football team and was selected as a first-team All-American fullback in 1914 by the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He was also named Albright College's "Athlete of the Century" in 1956.
After graduating from Albright College, Benfer received a post-graduate education at the University of Pennsylvania
and University of Illinois and was ordained as a minister of the United Evangelical Church
. In 1916, while serving as a minister at Hummels Wharf, Pennsylvania
, he became engaged to Mabel M. Hoffman.
Benfer later worked as a teacher, coach, and administrator for 50 years. He also played baseball for St. Louis Cardinals' farm teams for two summers. He was the basketball and baseball coach at Bucknell University
from 1918 to 1919. He then returned to Albright College where he served as the athletic director and taught Latin and history until 1925. From 1925 to 1965, he worked at Muhlenberg College
as a teacher of religion and a coach of football, basketball and baseball. He was also Muhlenberg's director of admissions from 1935 to 1963 and the director of men's dormitories until his poor health forced him to retire in August 1965.
He was also known for his work on behalf of American Legion baseball. He served as chairman of the Pennsylvania American Legion state championship tournament.
Benfer died at his home in Allentown, Pennsylvania
in January 1966 at age 73. He was survived by his wife, the former Mabel Hoffman, and a son, Robert H. Benfer.
As a tribute to Benfer, Albright College awards the Haps Benfer Trophy to an outstanding student athlete each year, and Muhlenberg dedicated Benfer Hall, a men's dormitory, in the fall of 1965. In 1963, he was also inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in Hershey, Pennsylvania
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and college coach and administrator. He was selected as a first-team All-American fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
while playing for Albright College
Albright College
Albright College is a private, co-ed, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1856 and is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States.-Overview:...
in 1914. He later spent 40 years as an athletic coach and administrator at Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
.
Biography
Born in Lock Haven, PennsylvaniaLock Haven, Pennsylvania
The city of Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, micropolitan statistical area, itself part of the...
, Benfer was the son of a prominent Evangelical minister. Benfer became a five-sport star athlete at William Penn High School. He became the first York County basketball player to score 1,000 points in basketball. His 1,101 points scored for William Penn High School, including 531 points as a junior, was the school's career scoring record for nearly 70 years, and he also set the school's single-game scoring record with 50 points against Steelton on January 6, 1911. Benfer was also a star for William Penn's football team for three years and played goalkeeper on the school's first soccer team in 1910.
After graduating from York High School, Benfer enrolled at Albright College
Albright College
Albright College is a private, co-ed, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1856 and is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States.-Overview:...
in Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
. At Albright, he played football, basketball and baseball. He played fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
for the football team and was selected as a first-team All-American fullback in 1914 by the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He was also named Albright College's "Athlete of the Century" in 1956.
After graduating from Albright College, Benfer received a post-graduate education at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and University of Illinois and was ordained as a minister of the United Evangelical Church
United Evangelical Church
The United Evangelical Church was created in 1891 when some members of the Evangelical Association left to form the new church. Thirty-one years later the two groups reunited in Detroit and renamed themselves "The Evangelical Church." In 1946, the Evangelical Church merged with the...
. In 1916, while serving as a minister at Hummels Wharf, Pennsylvania
Hummels Wharf, Pennsylvania
Hummels Wharf is a census-designated place in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 641 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hummels Wharf is located at ....
, he became engaged to Mabel M. Hoffman.
Benfer later worked as a teacher, coach, and administrator for 50 years. He also played baseball for St. Louis Cardinals' farm teams for two summers. He was the basketball and baseball coach at Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
from 1918 to 1919. He then returned to Albright College where he served as the athletic director and taught Latin and history until 1925. From 1925 to 1965, he worked at Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
as a teacher of religion and a coach of football, basketball and baseball. He was also Muhlenberg's director of admissions from 1935 to 1963 and the director of men's dormitories until his poor health forced him to retire in August 1965.
He was also known for his work on behalf of American Legion baseball. He served as chairman of the Pennsylvania American Legion state championship tournament.
Benfer died at his home in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
in January 1966 at age 73. He was survived by his wife, the former Mabel Hoffman, and a son, Robert H. Benfer.
As a tribute to Benfer, Albright College awards the Haps Benfer Trophy to an outstanding student athlete each year, and Muhlenberg dedicated Benfer Hall, a men's dormitory, in the fall of 1965. In 1963, he was also inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
.