At the completion of his senior season, Ben gained national recognition by winning the 2002 Ohio Mr. Football Award, 2002 Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year and the 2002 Art Tuion Award Winner after throwing for the national record 6,540 yards that season alone.

[2] Mauk wasn't heavily recruited, as he only had two other FBS scholarship offers: Kent State and Bowling Green.

Against Clemson University, on his first collegiate snap, he set the record for the longest touchdown pass in Wake history, at 85 yards.

Shortly after the injury, he underwent reconstructive surgery in which surgeons put a titanium plate with eight screws in his upper arm and installed three anchors in the shoulder.

[4] Mauk chose the University of Cincinnati primarily because it was close to his hometown and new coach Brian Kelly was installing a spread offense similar to the one he ran in high school.

[4] Mauk, named the starting quarterback over junior Dustin Grutza, was trying to lead the Bearcats to their first winning season in the Big East.

They then entered Big East play, with Mauk leading them to victories over Syracuse, UConn, USF, and Rutgers.

This gave the Bearcats their first 10-win season since 1951, and virtually assured them a spot in the end-of-season national rankings for the first time ever.

[6] Mauk, called the "Bionic Man" by his Cincinnati teammates due to the various metallic objects installed in his arm, proved to be an inspiration to them.

[7] On September 9, 2008, Hardin County Judge William Hart refused to grant a permanent injunction against the NCAA that would have allowed Mauk to rejoin the Bearcats.