Henry Marvin "Heinie" Benkert (June 30, 1901 – July 15, 1972) was a professional American football running back who starred collegiately at Rutgers University, where he won the unofficial collegiate scoring crown as a senior, and played for four non-consecutive seasons in the National Football League (NFL), for the New York Giants, the Pottsville Maroons and the Orange/Newark Tornadoes.
[2] Benkert, with 16 touchdowns and four extra points for the 1924 Rutgers Queensmen football team, he led the nation's college football players in scoring, with a total of 100 points; his 16 touchdowns also led the nation.
[5] Benkert gained a total of 2,124 rushing yards in his three collegiate seasons from 1922 to 1924, making him the first Rutgers player to cross the 2,000-yard mark.
[6] After college, Benkert went professional, playing in the NFL for the New York Giants team that finished the season with an 8–4 record in its inaugural season in 1925, starting 10 of the team's 12 NFL games – typical of the less-regimented early barnstorming days in the league, the team played five games against non-league opponents—and earning recognition as a first-team All-Pro by Collyer's Eye for his play that year.
[1][7][8] He played for the Pottsville Maroons in the 1926 season, starting four games and appearing in eight as the team finished with a 10–2–2 record, good for third place in the league.