With contributions from Shawn Levy.

You may not know Benson Drapiza’s name, and you may not know his face (though if you saw it, it’s likely you’d remember). But if you’ve attended Timbers matches in the past 15 or so years, going back to the minor league days, then you’ve danced and sung and celebrated and commiserated to Benson’s beat.

Benson was a senior member of the TA’s Drums-N-Trumpets corp, the pilot of El Diablo, one of the two big drums that rock the stadium from the top of section 106. And we lost him, suddenly and surprisingly, in January. On Saturday night, after the match, we will mark his passing – and, even more, his longtime presence among us – with a ceremony in the North End.

The North End is family, a family of choice, a family we count ourselves among for many and varied reasons. These connections transcend merely being sports fans — at weddings, births, baptisms, and in times of trouble, we show up for one another and truly embody the Trinity of Team, Town, and Timbers Army.

So when we lose a member of our family, there is an unfillable hole in the tapestry of The North End. Nowhere is that void more dark and raw today than in the heartbeat of the Timbers Army, the DnT, the family-within-a-family that Benson chose and loved and loved him back hugely in return.

It wasn’t only at Timbers matches that Benson kept the heartbeat pounding. You knew his beats as he spun tracks at the Holiday Party and other TA events. He was a huge personality who seemingly knew everyone forever, even those he’d just met.  

At matches, he was the life of the party, which is saying something – wearing sunglasses and a trucker hat, making goofy faces, punctuating chant verses with a hearty “WOOOOOO!”, driving the tempo faster and faster, and no doubt talking shit without missing a beat. For Benson, sleeves were always optional, and when the Timbers came from behind in some sort of incredible comeback, so was his shirt. Maybe his shorts, too. You never knew what would come next with that guy. 

And his merrymaking went on outside the park. He was a DJ and a festival follower. He was a snowboarder and river rat. He was famed for a massive wardrobe of sneakers and astounding outfits – onesies, capes, track suits, sports jerseys. He was an LED artist. He sported a billboard of tattoos. He got around town on a onewheel. He was as big a Blazers fan as he was a Timbers fan (if there were a Blazers DnT, he would’ve been right in the middle of it). He was born on July 4, which he celebrated every year as Bendependence Day with a massive party. He came from Tennessee, called Oregon his home, had a day job involving (and this may be the most remarkable thing about him) financial analysis, and leaves behind many, many, many broken hearts: A celebration of his life earlier this month was literally standing room only.

Benson’s contributions to Our Thing were massive and can’t be replicated, merely honored, and his legacy serves as a reminder of how special The North End and the Timbers Army are.

Saturday, after the final whistle and the log ceremony, please stay and join the DnT, Benson’s family, and the Timbers in honoring his memory. Below you can find the video that played on February 24 after the match.

You can watch the memorial video here.

Many have inquired as to how they might contribute to defray the costs associated with Benson's passing. If you are willing and able, you can donate to the GoFundMe here.