From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dick Bennett (born April 20, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American basketball coach who is best known for revitalizing the Wisconsin Badgers basketball program, and leading the team to the Final Four in 2000. He also coached at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Washington State University.

Contents 1 Coaching career 1.1 UW-Stevens Point 1.2 UW-Green Bay 1.3 Wisconsin Badgers 1.4 Washington State Cougars 2 Legacy 3 Background and family 4 Notes and references

Bennett had enormous success at each level of collegiate coaching in Wisconsin. In the mid-1980s, he led Stevens Point to an NAIA title game. He followed that up by bringing UW-Green Bay to its first three NCAA tournament appearances, and in 2000, after five years in Madison, he took the Badgers to the Final Four.

Bennett began his collegiate coaching career at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he won 173 games. He was named NAIA Coach of the Year after leading the 1983-84 squad to a 28-4 record and national runner-up finish. That team featured former NBA All-Star Terry Porter and current Saint Louis University head coach Brad Soderberg.

In 1985, Bennett moved to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Phoenix posted a 4-24 the year record before Bennett arrived, but had reached the second round of the NIT tournament by 1990.

Bennett's son Tony became the star of the team during the early 1990s. A guard who played several seasons in the NBA, Tony Bennett led the team to its first NCAA tournament berth in 1991, where the Phoenix lost to Michigan State in the first round. The following year, the UW-GB rolled to a 25-5 and won its first regular season conference title, but lost in the conference tournament. After Tony Bennett's departure in 1992, the 1993-94 team won the conference title and tournament on its way to the NCAA tournament. There, the 12^th-seeded Phoenix defeated 16th-ranked California, whose roster included Jason Kidd and Lamond Murray. In Bennett's final year with the Phoenix, his team returned to the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Big Ten champion Purdue.

In 1995, Bennett replaced Stan Van Gundy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In his fifth season (1999-2000), he led the Badgers to the Final Four. During his tenure there he was 94-68 (.580) from 1995-2000. He took Wisconsin to three NCAA tournament appearances and earned one NIT bid. The Badgers had played in a total of three NCAA tournaments in the 97 years before his arrival. Bennett coached Wisconsin to its first 20-win season ever in 1998-99. Citing burnout—he said he "simply was drained"—Bennett resigned three games into the 2000-2001 season^[1].

After two years off, Bennett was hired at Washington State University on March 29, 2003, and retired immediately following the 2005-2006 season, after the Cougars finished last in the Pac-10. His son, Tony Bennett, who was picked to be his successor, took over the team immediately following his retirement^[2].

Bennett was known particularly for his defensive prowess^{[citation needed]}. While at Wisconsin his teams led the Big Ten in scoring defense four straight years and finished in the top-five nationally three times.^{[citation needed]}

Bennett went to high school in Clintonville, Wisconsin and graduated from Ripon College. His daughter Kathi Bennett is the former head women's basketball coach at Indiana. His son Tony Bennett, previously the head assistant coach, was hired as WSU head coach after his father's retirement. His brother Jack Bennett recently retired as head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point after winning back-to-back NCAA Division III National Titles in 2004 and 2005. Another brother, Tom Bennett, died of AIDS-related complications at age 38 in January 1996.

1. ^ AP. "Wisconsin's Bennett Steps Down", CBS Sports.
2. ^ AP. "Bennett: First goal met", Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, February 28, 2006.

Preceded by Stan Van Gundy	Wisconsin Men's Basketball Head Coach 1995–2000	Succeeded by Brad Soderberg
Preceded by Paul Graham	Washington State Men's Basketball Head Coach 2003–2006	Succeeded by Tony Bennett