Ben Bennett

Last updated

Ben Bennett
Ben Bennett, Duke Chronicle 1980-11-14.jpg
Bennett at Duke in 1980
No. 14, 16, 5
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1962-05-05) May 5, 1962 (age 61)
Sunnyvale, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school: Peterson (Sunnyvale)
College: Duke
NFL draft: 1984  / Round: 6 / Pick: 148
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
As a Player
Career NFL statistics
Games played:1
Completions:2
Attempts:5
Passing yards:25
Touchdowns:0
Interceptions:1
Career Arena statistics
Games played:81
Attempts-Completions:1,928-1,069
Passing yards:14,168
Touchdowns:267
Interceptions:81
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR  ·  ArenaFan.com

Allen Beverly "Ben" Bennett II (born May 5, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears. He also was a member of the Jacksonville Bulls, Chicago Bruisers, Dallas Texans, Sacramento Surge, San Antonio Riders, Orlando Predators, San Jose SaberCats and Portland Forest Dragons. He was a football coach in the Arena Football League (AFL), AF2, and National Arena League (NAL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils, earning third team All-American honors in 1983.

Contents

Early years

Bennett attended Peterson High School in Sunnyvale, California, where he was the starter at quarterback. [1] He was the team captain and a highly recruited player as a senior. In his high school career he set 18 school records and 9 Santa Clara Valley Athletic League records.

College career

Freshman season

Bennett accepted a football scholarship from Duke University under then-head coach Shirley "Red" Wilson and offensive coordinator Steve Spurrier. [2]

He was voted ACC "Rookie of the Year" and twice named the ACC "Offensive Player of the Week". His best individual game was against Wake Forest University, setting three NCAA freshman records by completing 38 of 62 passes for 469 yards. He finished the season with 174 of 330 completions for 2,050 yards, 11 touchdowns and a school record 25 interceptions. [3]

Sophomore season

In 1981, he injured his shoulder during the season opener, missing the next three games and he also had to overcome a challenge for the starting job from backup Ron Sally. [3] He punted against the University of South Carolina twice for an average of 41 yards. He came back against Virginia Tech and completed 9 of 16 passes for 113 yards with one touchdown.

He had his best games against Maryland (31 of 46 for 397 yards and 2 touchdowns) and Clemson University (17 of 25 for 243 yards and one touchdown). In nine games, he completed 110 of 202 passes for 1,445 yards, with 7 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.

Junior season

In 1982, he became the first player in the ACC in its 30 years history to pass for over 3,000 yards with 3,033, receiving ACC Player of the Year and All-ACC honors. He set numerous records, including ACC career marks for most passing yards (6,528), most passes attempted (906), most passes completed (520), and most touchdown passes (38). He was named Sports Illustrated's Offensive Player of the Week following the season finale against University of North Carolina while passing for 273 yards, completing 25 of 34 passes, with one touchdown and no interceptions.

In the 4th quarter against Navy, he completed an NCAA record 21 passes with three touchdowns. He threw at least one touchdown pass in every game. Bennett had a completion percentage of 63.1 and a passing efficiency rating of 142.5. In 11 games, he completed 236 of 374 attempts for 3,033 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. [4]

Senior season

In 1983, he completed 300 of 469 pass attempts for 3,086 yards with 17 touchdowns and one interception, averaging 280.54 yards per game. [5]

Bennett completed his collegiate career as the top passer in the history of NCAA Division I-A football, with the most passes attempted (1,375), most passes completed (820), and most yardage (9,614), surpassing marks set by John Elway and Jim McMahon. He left with 7 NCAA, 15 ACC and 42 school records. [2]

In 2011, he was inducted into the Duke University Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was a member of the ACC Legends Class. [6]

Professional career

Bennett was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 6th round (148th overall) of the 1984 NFL Draft. [7] [8] On May 5, he instead chose to sign with the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League, who selected him in the 1984 territorial draft. [9] He was a backup behind Robbie Mahfouz and Matt Robinson. He appeared in 2 games, completing 7 of 13 passes for 113 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. On February 7, 1985, he was released after the signing of Brian Sipe. [10]

On February 26, 1985, he was signed by the Falcons to participate in their training camp. [11] He was waived on August 4. [12] In 1986, he signed as a free agent with the Houston Oilers. He was cut on August 25. [13]

After the NFLPA strike was declared on the third week of the 1987 season, those contests were canceled (reducing the 16 game season to 15) and the NFL decided that the games would be played with replacement players. He was signed to be a part of the Dallas replacement team that was given the mock name "Rhinestone Cowboys" by the media on October 1. [14] He was a backup quarterback and didn't appear in any game. He was cut on October 7. On October 9, he was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played in one game, completing 2 of 6 passes for 25 yards with one interception. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

In 1988, he was signed by the Chicago Bruisers of the Arena Football League after performing well at a tryout camp. [15] Under head coach Perry Moss, he finished the season completing 172 of 323 passes for 2,304 yards with 49 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He was named First-team All-Arena team at QB and was also named the league's Most Valuable Player. [15] On November 29, 1988, he was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Bears to backup Jim Harbaugh, after Jim McMahon was placed on the injured reserve list and Mike Tomczak was out with a separated shoulder. [16] He was active for two games as a backup quarterback. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

In 1989, the Bruisers suspended operations. During the shortened season, he was the league's top-ranked passer, posting 69 of 127 completions for 808 yards with 14 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.

In 1990, Bennett began the year with the Albany Firebirds. On May 14, he was traded to the Dallas Texans. [17] He appeared in all 8 games where he led the team to the ArenaBowl IV. During the season, he completed 115 of 220 attempts for 1,149 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. He was named second-team All-Arena.

In 1991, he was selected by the Sacramento Surge in the first round of the World League of American Football draft. [18] He was a backup behind Mike Elkins and was released on April 9. [19] In April, he was signed by the San Antonio Riders, where he was a backup behind Mike Johnson and Jason Garrett.

On June 5, 1991, he was signed by the Dallas Texans of the Arena Football League. [20] On July 3, he was traded to the expansion Orlando Predators in exchange for defensive tackle Keith Williams, reuniting with head coach Perry Moss. [21] He replaced starter Reggie Collier, finishing the season with 42 of 81 passes for 540 yards with 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. [15]

In 1992, he completed 145 of 264 passes for 2,092 yards with 41 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The greatest feat of his career the "Miracle Minute", a historic comeback in a game against the Detroit Drive on June 19. In that game, he threw two touchdown passes and two 2-point conversions in the final 49 seconds of the game, all to Barry Wagner. Wagner then got a game-winning safety, completing a comeback from a 32-42 deficit to a 50-49 win. Bennett led the Predators to the ArenaBowl VI, where they were beaten by the Drive. [22]

In 1993, he completed 180 of 340 yards for 2,515 yards with 50 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In 1994, he completed 166 of 245 passes for 2,211 yards with 45 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. [23] In 1995, he completed 91 of 149 passes for 1,111 yards with 20 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. For both the 1993 and 1994 season, Bennett was named first-team All-Arena. He would also lead the Predators to a total of three ArenaBowls, losing all three.

For the 1996 season, Bennett played for the San Jose SaberCats, completing 26 of 55 passes for 376 yards with 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. In 1997, he played for the Portland Forest Dragons, completing 63 of 124 passes for 792 yards with 14 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He retired at the end of the year after suffering a neck injury. [2]

During his AFL playing career, he made five ArenaBowl appearances and was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame on May 24, 2000. He also was inducted into the Predators Ring of Honor.

Coaching career

In 1998, he was signed as an assistant coach by the Milwaukee Mustangs. In December 1998, he was named an assistant coach at Duke University. [24] In three seasons as a head coach in the af2, Bennett has compiled a record of 36-18 (including playoffs). His win total is the third highest among active coaches and tenth best All-time. Bennett's coaching resume also includes stints as an assistant with the Florida Bobcats (AFL, 2001), the Greensboro Prowlers (af2, 2000), and the Milwaukee Mustangs (AFL, 1998).

Bennett built and led the Florida Firecats of the af2 to two ArenaCup championship games during the 2002 and 2004 seasons, winning the 2004 ArenaCup championship. In 2005, he transformed the Manchester Wolves from a 5-11 team in 2004 into the East Division champion in his first season. He guided the Wolves to a franchise-best 12-win season, finishing 12-5 overall. The team's season also included a 10-game win streak and a trip to the second round of the af2 playoffs.

Bennett was to be the head coach for the Orlando Fantasy during the 2010 season, but he decided that it wasn't a job he was interested in. [25]

In 2011, he was the offensive coordinator of the Arena Football League's New Orleans VooDoo, but he was dismissed three games into the season. [2] In 2012, he was named offensive coordinator of the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators. [26]

He was named the head coach of the re-launched Orlando Predators in the National Arena League for the 2020 season. [27] The 2020 season was cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Bennett returned for the 2021 season where he led the team to 4–4 record and a playoff spot. He left the Predators after the season. [28]

Related Research Articles

Woodrow "Woody" Dantzler III is a former American football running back and safety in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at Clemson University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat O'Hara</span> American football player and coach (born 1968)

Patrick O'Hara is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the pass game analyst for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach of the New Orleans VooDoo, Orlando Predators and Tri-Cities Fever. O'Hara also served as an assistant coach for the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Storm.

Craig Dominic Whelihan is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), XFL, and Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Pacific Tigers. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft.

Robert Lee "Bobby" Sippio, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Peoria Pirates in 2002. He played college football at Western Kentucky. During Sippio's professional career, he played for thirteen different teams in four different leagues, including the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, and Detroit Lions of the National Football League.

Kahlil Rafiq Carter, is a former professional gridiron football player and coach.

Christopher J. Greisen is a former American football quarterback who played professionally the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys and current coach for West De Pere High School. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He also was a member of the Rhein Fire, Green Bay Blizzard, Dallas Desperados, Georgia Force, Florida Tuskers, Milwaukee Iron, and Virginia Destroyers. He played college football at Northwest Missouri State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Dietz</span> American football player and coach (born 1981)

Brett Dietz is American football coach and former quarterback. He is the head football coach at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, a position he has held since 2020. Dietz played college football at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana and professionally with several teams including the Turku Trojans in Finland Vaahteraliiga and in Arena Football League (AFL), Af2, and the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) for the Cincinnati Marshals, Louisville Fire, Tampa Bay Storm and California Redwoods.

Gino Guidugli is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Scott Stewart Milanovich is an American professional football coach and former player who is the head coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Football Team of the CFL. Milanovich has also held positional coaching roles in the NFL Europe and the National Football League (NFL).

Gilbert Renfroe is an American former gridiron football quarterback.

Nick Hill is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is the head football coach at his alma mater, Southern Illinois University. Hill was signed by the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He then played professionally in the Arena Football League (AFL) and in the af2. He played college football at Southern Illinois.

Christopher Sanders is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for SMU and Chattanooga. He signed with the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL) after going undrafted in the 2001 NFL Draft. He primarily played arena football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Morris</span> American football player (born 1985)

Bernard Raphael Morris is a former American football quarterback. He was signed as a street free agent by the Arkansas Twisters in 2009. He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Ken Mastrole is an American former football player. He played as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), NFL Europe, and intercollegiate football at the University of Maryland and University of Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Rowley</span> American football player (born 1979)

Kyle Rowley is an arena football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He also played in the former af2. He played college football at Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny O'Brien (gridiron football)</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1990)

Daniel Matthew O'Brien is a Gridiron football coach and former player. He is currently an offensive graduate assistant at Penn State. As a professional quarterback, he was a member of the Columbus Lions, Ottawa Redblacks, Edmonton Eskimos, and BC Lions. He played college football for the University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin and Catawba College.

Stephen "Steve" Wasil is a former Arena football quarterback who played for the Muskegon Thunder, Texas Copperheads, Albany Firebirds, Alabama Vipers, Kansas City Command and Tampa Bay Storm. He is currently the Offensive Coordinator at Albion College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakeem Cato</span> American football player (born 1992)

Rakeem Cato is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Marshall and was the Thundering Herd's starting quarterback from 2011 to 2014. As a professional, he has played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL), Richmond Roughriders of the American Arena League (AAL), Gulf Coast Fire of the A-League, and Orlando Predators of the National Arena League (NAL).

Collin Drafts is a former American football quarterback who played in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Charleston Southern University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tri-Cities Fever in 2007.

Scott Semptimphelter is a former American football quarterback who played five seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Orlando Predators, Nashville Kats, Los Angeles Avengers, Detroit Fury and New York Dragons. He played college football at Lehigh University and attended Holy Cross High School in Delran Township, New Jersey. He also attended training camp twice with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL).

References

  1. ↑ "Santa Clara Valley is–and has always been–a hotbed for QBs". September 2, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Former Preds QB looks to make impact as offensive coordinator" . Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Bennett is Spark at Duke". The New York Times. November 9, 1982. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Ben Bennett Hall of Fame Bio" . Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Duke quarterback Ben Bennett, the all-time leading passer in..." Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Bennett Named to 2011 ACC Legends Class". August 9, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  7. ↑ "1984 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Atlanta Falcons Monday waived six players, including former..." Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  9. ↑ Wallace, William N. (January 30, 1985). "Flutie and Bennett, a Contrast". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Brian Sipe was in satisfactory condition after surgery to..." Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Former Georgia center Wayne Radloff, who spent the last..." Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Henning said he didn't plan..." Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Transactions". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Who's playing today and for whom". Lakeland Ledger. October 4, 1987.
  15. 1 2 3 "Preds' Quarterback Pulling Double Duty" . Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Transactions". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  17. ↑ Tom Boggie (June 21, 1990). "Preseason Deal Could Come Back to Haunt Firebirds". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  18. ↑ "New League Picks QBs with a Lot of Mileage". Chicago Tribune . February 19, 1991. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. April 10, 1991. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. June 6, 1991. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Predators Acquire Bennett, Williams" . Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Top 25 Players in AFL History: #23 Ben Bennett". March 22, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Starting At Quarterback . . . The Duke" . Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Transaction". The New York Times. December 29, 1998. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  25. ↑ George Diaz (June 8, 2010). "Ben Bennett out as coach of Orlando Lingerie Football League team". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Orlando Predators tap former QB Ben Bennett as offensive coordinator" . Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Orlando Predators Announce New Ownership and the Addition of Ben Bennett as Head Coach". NAL. October 30, 2019. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  28. ↑ "NEW HEAD COACH". Orlando Predators. November 18, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.