Ben Mast Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame

Ben Mast played for the Massillon varsity in 1995 and ‘96 as an offensive lineman, under Head Coach Jack Rose.  He was an imposing figure, standing 6’-4” and weighing 275 lbs.

In his junior season the Tigers went 7-3.   However, they did record a 21-18 win over Cincinnati Moeller, which was Massillon’s first ever win over the national power.

Program Cover

During his senior year, as a co-captain, his team defeated 7-2 Walsh Jesuit, 7-2 Naperville, Illinois, and 9-3 Cincinnati Moeller.  In addition, the team downed eventual state champion Lima Senior during the regular season, 28-14.  The Tigers finished the year with a 9-2 record, while losing 7-6 to Brunwick in a 2nd round playoff game, during which seven inches of snow was deposited on the Akron Rubber Bowl turf.  Post-season, our inductee was named 1st Team All-Ohio.

Next up was a 5-year career at the University of Michigan, which he selected over Ohio State, not being a big fan of current head coach John Cooper.  Playing at 6′-4″, 297 lbs., he saw action on the offensive line in 29 games, while experiencing four bowl games, two Big Ten titles and one national championship.  He also had an opportunity to block for quarterback Tom Brady.

  • 1997 – Redshirted; 12-0 record; National Champions; AP No. 1; won 21-16 over No. 1 Washington State in the Rose Bowl
  • 1998 – Played in 5 games; 10-3 record; tied for the Big Ten Championship; AP No. 12; won 45-31 over No. 11 Arkansas in the Florida Citris Bowl
  • 1999 – Played in 12 games; 10-2 record; tied for 2nd in the Big Ten; AP No. 5; won 35-34 o.t. over No. 5 Alabama in the Orange Bowl
  • 2000 – Played in 5 games; 9-3 record; tied for the Big Ten Championship; AP No. 11; won 31-28 over No. 20 Auburn in the Florida Citris Bowl
  • 2001 – Played in 7 games; 8-4 record; 2nd in the Big Ten; AP No. 20; lost 45-17 to No. 8 Tennessee in the Florida Citris Bowl

During his final year Mast suffered a knee injury in the Week 2 game against Washington when he was clipped while running down a Washington player after a blocked punt.  Unfortunately, that hampered his playing time for the remainder of the season.  Otherwise, he was looking at potentially being selected in the 2nd or 3rd round of the NFL draft.  At the advice of NFL scouts, he played for the Detroit Fury of arena football in order to test the knee.  However,  he was hurt again and elected then to retire from football.

Ben is currently a plant supervisor for Alro Steel in Wooster.

 

 

dengelhardt

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