Bob Bennett (baseball)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bobby Gene Bennett (June 22, 1933 – May 31, 2020) was an American
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
who was head coach at Fresno State from 1970 to 2002.


Biography

Born in Atwood, Oklahoma, Bennett attended Roosevelt High School in
Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...
and graduated in 1951. In college, Bob caught for Fresno State, setting a school record for fielding in 1953 by going 224 chances without an error. Bennett began his coaching career in 1956 after graduating college with a degree in physical education. He was 41-19 from 1956 to 1957 at Kingsburg High School. He then spent 11 seasons coaching Bullard High School. Bennett took a break from Bullard in 1967 to coach Fresno State when
Pete Beiden Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to: People * Pete (given name) * Pete (nickname) * Pete (surname) Fictional characters * Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe * Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...
took a sabbatical; the team went 38–10. When Beiden retired after 1969, Bennett became head coach, a job he held until his retirement in 2002. He would go 1,302-759-4 to finish 7th in
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
history in career victories; he only had two losing seasons in his career. He won 14 Conference Coach of the Year honors and was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1988 by ''
The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
''. Bennett coached for Team USA in 1977 and 1979 and managed the team in the
1983 Intercontinental Cup The 1983 Intercontinental Cup was an association football match played on 11 December 1983 between Hamburger SV, winners of the 1982–83 European Cup, and Grêmio, winners of the 1983 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadiu ...
(when they won a silver medal) and
1986 Amateur World Series The 1986 Amateur World Series was the 29th Amateur World Series (AWS), an international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). The tournament took place, for the first ti ...
. Bennett took Fresno State to the
1988 College World Series The 1988 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was played at the end of the 1988 NCAA Division I baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the College World Series, ...
and
1991 College World Series The 1991 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was played at the end of the 1991 NCAA Division I baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the College World Series, ...
. He helped develop
Dick Ruthven Richard David Ruthven (born March 27, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs. The two ...
,
Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American accountant, businessman, and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Republican, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. Se ...
,
Terry Pendleton Terry Lee Pendleton (born July 16, 1960) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas Cit ...
, Eric Fox, Mark Gardner,
Tom Goodwin Thomas Jones Goodwin (born July 27, 1968) is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons, primarily as a center fielder, from 1991 to 2004. As a player, he was listed at and ...
, Steve Hosey, Bobby Jones,
Todd Johnson Todd Edward Johnson (born December 18, 1978) is an American former college and professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 2000s. Johnson played college football for the Un ...
, Jeff Weaver, Dan Gladden,
Adam Pettyjohn Adam Christopher Pettyjohn (born June 11, 1977) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. Listed at and during his playing career, he batted ...
and
Dennis Springer Dennis Leroy Springer (born February 12, 1965) is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Florida Marlins, Ne ...
among other major leaguers. In May 2001, Bennett announced his intention to retire following the 2002 season. Bennett retired with a 1,302-759-4 win–loss record at Fresno State. His #26 was the first number ever retired by Fresno State. He was once president of the American Baseball Coaches Association as well. He was inducted into the
Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...
(1990), the ABCA Hall of Fame, and College Baseball Hall of Fame (2010). Bennett continued in his retirement to coach players, lead instructional videos and practice as well as write literature related to baseball techniques and methods. Bennett was a poet and published a multitude of books over the years. Bennett continued to lead young players, was a motivational speaker and provided ongoing consultation to baseball coaches and players from the High School levels up to the Major Leagues. His #26 was the first number retired at Fresno State and in 2016, the school renamed its baseball stadium "Bob Bennett Stadium at Pete Beiden Field." He died on May 31, 2020, at the age of 86.Former Fresno State baseball coach Bob Bennett passes away at 86
/ref>


See also

*
List of college baseball coaches with 1,100 wins This is a list of NCAA baseball coaches with 1,100 career wins through the completion of the 2021 season. Key Coaches with 1,100 career wins References {{College athletic coaching wins leaders in the United States * Baseball Ba ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Bob 1933 births 2020 deaths People from Hughes County, Oklahoma Fresno State Bulldogs baseball coaches Fresno State Bulldogs baseball players National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Baseball coaches from Oklahoma Baseball players from Oklahoma