David Bennett (American football)
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Greer, South Carolina, U.S. | December 2, 1961
Playing career | |
1981–1984 | Presbyterian |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1984 | Presbyterian (SA) |
1985–1986 | Clemson (GA) |
1987 | Goose Creek HS (SC) (OC) |
1988–1989 | Newberry (OB) |
1990–1994 | Catawba (assistant) |
1995–2001 | Catawba |
2002–2011 | Coastal Carolina |
2013–2016 | River Bluff HS (SC) |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
2012–2013 | Socastee (SC) |
2013–2016 | River Bluff HS (SC) |
2017–2023 | Lexington School District 1 (SC) |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 126–56 (college) 23–21 (high school) |
Tournaments | 4–3 (NCAA D-II playoffs) 0–2 (NCAA D-I playoffs) 1–1 (SCHSL playoffs) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
3 SAC (1996, 2000–2001) 4 Big South (2004–2005, 2010) | |
Awards | |
David Bennett (born December 2, 1961) is an American former high school athletics administrator and football coach. He was most recently the athletic director for Lexington School District 1 in Lexington, South Carolina from 2017 to 2023. Bennett served as the head football coach at Catawba College from 1995 to 2001 and at Coastal Carolina University from 2003 to 2011.
Playing career and education
[edit]Bennett played football and golf at Presbyterian College. He earned his bachelor's degree in history and social studies from Presbyterian in 1984. He added a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Clemson University.
Coaching career
[edit]Coastal Carolina
[edit]Bennett was hired on December 21, 2001, as the Chanticleers' first head coach prior to the football program's launch season in 2003.[1] Bennett led the Chanticleers to a victory in their inaugural game, September 6, 2003, with a 21–14 home win over the Newberry Wolves. In the second, third, and fourth seasons of his tenure, he led the Chanticleers to nine or more wins each year, only qualifying for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs once in 2006 with an at-large berth, as the five-team Big South Conference had too few schools for an automatic bid.
On December 9, 2011, Bennett was relieved of his duties after the program slumped to a 29–28 record over his final five seasons. In nine years, Bennett's teams produced a 63–39 record playing at the NCAA Division I FCS level. Under his tenure, the Chanticleers reached the FCS playoffs twice, and finished in at least a tie for the Big South regular season title four times.
During his time at Coastal Carolina, Bennett gained notoriety for a portion of a press conference he gave on September 7, 2011 that went viral. In the clip, he referenced having instructed his players to be "more like [dogs]" and saying "we don't need no cats" while recounting an incident in which a neighborhood cat entered his house through a broken screen door but had difficulty exiting. The clip from the press conference was noted for its thorough detail of the incident and for Bennett's several attempts at recreating cat-like noises. The video has resurfaced several times in subsequent years, often on the anniversary of the original press conference, and resulted in several interviews and speaking opportunities for Bennett.[2][3]
Head coaching record
[edit]College
[edit]Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | TSN# | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Catawba Indians (South Atlantic Conference) (1994–2001) | |||||||||
1995 | Catawba | 7–3 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
1996 | Catawba | 9–2 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
1997 | Catawba | 8–3 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
1998 | Catawba | 6–4 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
1999 | Catawba | 11–2 | 7–1 | 2nd | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||
2000 | Catawba | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||
2001 | Catawba | 11–2 | 6–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Semifinal | ||||
Catawba: | 63–17 | 40–10 | |||||||
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (Big South Conference) (2003–2011) | |||||||||
2003 | Coastal Carolina | 6–5 | 1–3 | 4th | |||||
2004 | Coastal Carolina | 10–1 | 4–0 | 1st | 24 | ||||
2005 | Coastal Carolina | 9–2 | 3–1 | T–1st | 24 | ||||
2006 | Coastal Carolina | 9–3 | 4–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division I First Round | 14 | |||
2007 | Coastal Carolina | 5–6 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
2008 | Coastal Carolina | 6–6 | 1–4 | T–5th | |||||
2009 | Coastal Carolina | 5–6 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
2010 | Coastal Carolina | 6–6 | 5–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
2011 | Coastal Carolina | 7–4 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
Coastal Carolina: | 63–39 | 27–16 | |||||||
Total: | 126–56 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
|
High school
[edit]Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
River Bluff Gators (South Carolina High School League AAAAA–Region V) (2013–2016) | |||||||||
2013 | River Bluff | 7–3 | No conference (first-year school) | ||||||
2014 | River Bluff | 8–5 | 3–2 | T–2nd | L Second round, SCHSL playoffs | ||||
2015 | River Bluff | 7–4 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
2016 | River Bluff | 1–9 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
River Bluff: | 23–21 | 5–11 | |||||||
Total: | 23–21 |
References
[edit]- ^ Newell, Nat (December 21, 2001). "Coastal Selects Bennett". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. p. C3. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ Bezjak, Lou (August 30, 2018). "7 years later, former Coastal coach's 'Cats and Dogs' rant still has legs". The State. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Bezjak, Lou (October 13, 2023). "David Bennett, viral Coastal Carolina football coach, to retire from local AD job". The State. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
- 1961 births
- Living people
- Catawba Indians football coaches
- Clemson Tigers football coaches
- Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football coaches
- Newberry Wolves football coaches
- Presbyterian Blue Hose football coaches
- Presbyterian Blue Hose football players
- Presbyterian Blue Hose men's golfers
- High school football coaches in South Carolina
- Clemson University alumni
- People from Greer, South Carolina
- Coaches of American football from South Carolina
- Players of American football from South Carolina
- Golfers from South Carolina