John E. Benington (December 31, 1921 – September 10, 1969) was an American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach. The picture listed of John Benington is incorrect. It is not him. This is from his grand-daughter. The Findlay, Ohio native played college basketball for two seasons at the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...

, where he captained the squad that won the

1949 National Invitation Tournament The 1949 National Invitation Tournament was the 1949 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.

under Pete Newell. He then became assistant basketball coach at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

(1950–1956) under Newell and

Forddy Anderson Forrest "Forddy" Anderson (March 17, 1919 – October 25, 1999) was an American basketball coach. He was the first coach in NCAA history to take two different teams to the Final Four; Bradley in 1950 and 1954 and Michigan State in 1957. Early l ...

. He served a combined 14 seasons as head men's basketball coach at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

(1956–1958),

St. Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

(1958–1965) and Michigan State (1965–1969). He led Saint Louis to four NIT appearances including the finals of the

1961 NIT The 1961 National Invitation Tournament was the 1961 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament. * Army * Colorado State * Dayton * DePaul * Detroit * ...

where they lost to

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

. Benington died of a massive heart attack at age 47 after jogging. He was found after hours in

Jenison Fieldhouse Jenison Fieldhouse (alternately referred to in university publications as Jenison Field House) is a 10,004-seat, later reduced to 6,000-seat, multi-purpose arena in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1940 and was named for alumnus Freder ...

by his wife and assistant coach.

Head coaching record

References

1921 births 1969 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Ohio Basketball players from Ohio College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Drake Bulldogs men's basketball coaches Michigan State Spartans men's basketball coaches People from Findlay, Ohio Saint Louis Billikens athletic directors Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball coaches San Francisco Dons men's basketball players {{1920s-US-basketball-bio-stub