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By Andy Walter Delaware State News As it usually is in situations like this, the news was sudden and shocking. Ben Blacknall was dead. Jeff Braxton was Blacknall’s offensive coordinator when he was Delaware State’s head football coach from 2000-03. The news last Wednesday that the 64-year-old Blacknall had been found dead in Alabama wasn’t easy for Braxton to accept at first. “It took me a couple hours to really focus after I got the news that he had passed away,” said Braxton. “It really hit home to me in my heart. This was the guy who believed enough in me to give me an opportunity and a chance. That’s probably going to be with me for my entire life.” There were lots of people associated with DSU’s football program who were shocked by Blacknall’s passing, of course. The veteran college grid coach spent only four seasons with the Hornets. But he was there at a pivotal moment at DelState. When Blacknall was hired in 2000, DSU had just ended a 19-game losing streak the year before. The Hornets went 7-4 in his first season, though, ending the year with a five-game winning streak. Blacknall was named the 2000 Mid-Eastern Athletic Coach of the Year. Braxton said there are two games that really stand out from that 2000 campaign. That year the Hornets beat South Carolina State, 57-32, on homecoming and followed it up by rallying for a 46-45 win over North Carolina A&T the following week. The Bulldogs were coached by Blacknall’s college coach, Willie Jeffries, while A&T was his alma mater. Braxton, who is an assistant coach under current DSU head coach Kermit Blount, said Blacknall taught him a lot about the business. “He was definitely a blessing for me,” said Braxton. “He was a guy who would coach his coaches. Because he was from the South, he gave you that great Southern hospitality. But yet he was a great communicator of what he wanted and he also had great vision. “He brought the side of the game that people don’t see or know about. He gave you those little insights that helped you in recruiting, that helped you just become a better coach.” Blacknall is believed to have died from complications from diabetes, a disease he had for much of his life. DelState’s coaches watched him deal with it every day. “He had to be careful with what he ate and when he ate,” said Braxton. “But that never stopped him from being a great head coach.” After a few years out of the business following DSU, Blacknall was in his seventh season as the defensive line coach at Alabama A&M when he died. Braxton said he was definitely doing what he loved. “He was very happy to get back in the business,” said Braxton. “He had been in the coaching profession for over 30 years. For him, it was his dream job. That’s what he did.”