Ben Roberts

Classroom

Ben Roberts has consistently shown effort in the classroom, ensuring that he is active and engaged on and off the field. He has been a two-time member of the Tiger 3.0 Club for maintaining a GPA at or above a 3.0 Additionally, he has been named to the American Athletic Conference’s All-Academic Team for both academic years he has been at Memphis.

Character

Roberts has been a leader since the day he got to campus. His leadership on the field has been crucial to the development of younger teammates and the continuity of a defense that has undergone several lineup changes during his tenure. He has been a team co-captain the past two seasons, and he leads the team through warm-ups and drills to allow coaches to prepare the practice/game plans. Roberts’ dedication to his own craft encourages his teammates to continue to do better, bolstering his teammates’ confidence in themselves and each other.

Community

Dedicating so much time to his sport and school, it is a wonder that Roberts has any time to dedicate to anything else. However, Roberts has worked with the athletic department during his time at Memphis, mostly helping the facilities and grounds crews during spring semesters. With his work with the facilities crew, Roberts helps ensure that playing fields and sport areas are as in the best shape possible for student-athletes and fans so that the sporting event can look as good as possible.

Competition

Roberts is a two-time All-AAC performer (first-team 2018, second-team 2017), leading the Tiger defense the last two seasons he has been at Memphis. As a transfer-sophomore, he led a young defense by taking on the best attackers from the other team, using his vocal leadership to keep his teammates aware and alert. His junior season saw a new line of defenders and new goalkeepers, yet under Roberts’ watchful eye, Memphis logged six shutouts and captured their first conference tournament win as a member of the AAC. To start this season, Roberts scored the game-winner against Campbell. Also against the Camels, Roberts led a defense that allowed zero shots, a feat that had not been done at Memphis since 2001. For his efforts, Roberts was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week, an award he has now won twice in his Tiger career.