Allen Wilbert Benson (March 28, 1905 – November 16, 1999), nicknamed "Bullet", was an American professional baseball player who played

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

in the Major Leagues in 1934. He would play for the Washington Senators. Benson played for the bearded House of David baseball team before signing with the Senators. Given the rarity of facial hair among the era's baseball players, the Senators signed Benson largely as a publicity stunt to boost attendance. He became one of very few Major League players who wore facial hair between the

deadball era In major league baseball, the dead-ball era refers to a period from about 1900 to 1920 in which run scoring was low and home runs were rare in comparison to the years that followed. In 1908, the major league batting average dropped to .239, and t ...

and the 1970s. He struggled in two games and was sent to the minor league

Albany Senators The Albany Senators was a name used by multiple minor league baseball teams representing Albany, New York, that existed between 1885 and 1959. The mid-20th century club played at Hawkins Stadium. The various editions of the Senators generally pl ...

. He told reporters "I believe I could have made the grade with the Nats but for these danged whiskers."

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1999 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Akron Tyrites players Baseball players from South Dakota People from Turner County, South Dakota Albany Senators players Charleroi Babes players Dallas Steers players Des Moines Demons players Harrisburg Senators players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players 1905 births 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1900s-stub