Ben Hightower
American football player (1918–2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Benjamin Hightower (December 5, 1918 – January 1, 2003) was an American professional football player.
Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Austin, Texas, U.S.
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| No. 53, 86, 6 | |||||||||
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| Position | End | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | December 5, 1918 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | January 1, 2003 (aged 84) Austin, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 184 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Beaumont (Beaumont, Texas) | ||||||||
| College | Sam Houston State | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1942: 11th round, 92nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Hightower was born in Beaumont, Texas, in 1918. He attended Beaumont High School and played college football at Sam Houston State from 1938 to 1941.[1] He was also a champion hurdler for the Sam Houston track team.[2]
He was selected by the Cleveland Rams with the 92nd pick of the 1942 NFL draft.[3] He played as an end for the Rams, on both offense and defense, during the 1942 season. He appeared in 10 games for the Rams, two as a starter, caught 19 passes for 317 yards and scored three touchdowns.[1]
In 1943, he was a starting end for the Detroit Lions. He appeared in eight games for the Lions, seven as a starter, and caught 10 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown.[1][3] His 1943 season ended early when he had a recurrence of malaria from which he was first stricken in high school.[4][5]
Hightower missed the 1944 and 1946 seasons while serving in the United States Navy during World War II.[2] He played for the Camp Peary football team in 1944 and was selected as a first-team end on the Associated Press Mid-Atlantic Service team.[6]
After the war, he coached football at Sam Houston.[2] He also played during the 1946 season in the Pacific Coast Football League for the Los Angeles Bulldogs and Hollywood Bears.[1]
Hightower was married for 62 years. He lived in Austin, Texas, from 1960 until his death 2003 at age 84. He worked as a real estate professional working with ranch and far properties. He was inducted into the Sam Houston Bearkat Hall off Fame in 1989.[2]