Ben DiFrancesco

• Post by: mcalibrary
• December 15, 2023
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INDUCTEE

Cleveland Browns Coach Jim Garrett stunned some people at a banquet recently when he said he considered Ben DiFrancesco “the finest football player I’ve ever coached”. Remember now, Garrett has coached NFL for 15 years, including several championship games and at least one Pro Bowl.

People who had seen the Atlas Native were not surprised. In 1960 Ben had already played for two years as a linebacker at Susquehanna for Coach Whitey Kiel. But new Coach Garrett has come to Susquehanna and He was a discipline of the Gap 6 defense. The success of this defense depends on the presence of a guard, playing the “gap” between offensive linemen who is quick enough to rush the passer, agile enough to avoid blockers and prevent the sweep and tough enough to stop the fullback drive up the middle.