A Look Back at Miami’s Magic Man

Few football players had a flashier name than Magic Benton. A highly recruited player out of Miami’s Northwestern High School, Benton was named after a nightclub in Liberty City called the Magic City Lounge, which no longer exists. During the early 1990s, Benton was one of the most dominant players to ever wear the Bulls uniform. On offense, he was a big-play receiver, who averaged an amazing 31 yards per catch his senior year. On defense, he was a lockdown cornerback. Photo by JC Ridley.

Highly recruited, Benton originally signed a letter of intent to attend Florida State in 1994. But he was an English class short of completing the NCAA’s core-course requirements. He sat out a year and took the English course. After completing the course, he backed out of his commitment to FSU and decided to stay home and play for the Hurricanes.

Benton enjoyed flashes of brilliance. He led the 1996 Canes with 547 yards receiving and had 4 touchdowns. But he struggled in the classroom and was plagued by injuries. In 1998, he decided to leave UM and enter the NFL Draft. Undrafted by the NFL, he bounced around in different professional leagues eventually finding a home with the Fort Myers Firecats of the Arena Football League 2. He went on to work as a personal trainer and helps coach high school players in the Ken Mastrole Passing Academy in Broward County.