LeCharles Bentley – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
LeCharles Bentley
2001 Rimington Award Winner
LeCharles Bentley is the latest in a long line of outstanding offensive linemen who have played at Ohio State. He proved that during the 2001 season by winning consensus All-Big Ten and All-America honors. The icing on the cake came at the end of the season when Bentley, chosen as the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year, was named winner of the second annual Dave Rimington Award as the best center in college football.
Bentley, a native of Cleveland, enjoyed a stellar senior year, capping off a brilliant career by starting all 11 regular-season games and grading out to a winning performance in each game. Time and again, it was the 6-2, 300-pound Bentley who was called upon to provide the key block that either kept a drive alive or led to an Ohio State touchdown. He graded out to 90 percent or better in nine of the 11 games he played in and was chosen as offensive lineman of the week five times. At the end of the season, the coaching staff selected him as the offensive player of the year.
Bentley was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes. He started the final seven games of the 1999 season (six at guard and one at tackle) before moving to center as a junior in 2000. He started all 12 games as a junior, playing through a painful lower back condition, and won second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Healthy in 2001, he played brilliantly all year long and led the team in playing time during the regular season before missing the Outback Bowl because of a shoulder injury suffered in the win over Michigan. Prior to the Outback Bowl, he had played in 47-consecutive games for the Buckeyes.
At the end of his senior year, he won first-team All-America honors on the Walter Camp, Football Writers, Football Coaches, and Associated Press teams. His selection as the Rimington Award was a mere formality.
As a senior, Bentley faced the challenge of playing for a new coaching staff. He quickly won that group’s confidence and admiration with his tough, smart and physical style of play.
“LeCharles Bentley is one of the finest centers I have ever been around,” said 2001 offensive coordinator Jim Bollman. “He has a lot of natural talent, but more than that he works hard every day to get better at the little things. That is a trait that will serve him well throughout the rest of his life. I am proud to have had the opportunity to coach him.”
Bentley is the 20th Ohio State player to win a major award.
