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David Bennett (American football)

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David Bennett
Biographical details
Born (1961-12-02) December 2, 1961 (age 62)
Greer, South Carolina, U.S.
Playing career
1981–1984Presbyterian
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1984Presbyterian (SA)
1985–1986Clemson (GA)
1987Goose Creek HS (SC) (OC)
1988–1989Newberry (OB)
1990–1994Catawba (assistant)
1995–2001Catawba
2002–2011Coastal Carolina
2013–2016River Bluff HS (SC)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2012–2013Socastee (SC)
2013–2016River Bluff HS (SC)
2017–2023Lexington School District 1 (SC)
Head coaching record
Overall126–56 (college)
23–21 (high school)
Tournaments4–3 (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
  • AFCA Division II Coach of the Year (1995)
  • SAC Coach of the Year (1995)
  • 2× Big South Coach of the Year (2004, 2010)

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

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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

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Coastal Carolina

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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

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College

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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

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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

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  1. ^ Newell, Nat (December 21, 2001). "Coastal Selects Bennett". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. p. C3. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Bezjak, Lou (October 13, 2023). "David Bennett, viral Coastal Carolina football coach, to retire from local AD job". The State. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
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