2004 Football Guide Base
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Coastal Carolina Football 2004 COACHING STAFF 2004 Media Guide 43 Coastal Carolina Football HEAD COACH DAVID BENNETT David Bennett is in his second season as The 1997 and 1998 teams posted records of 8-3 and 6-4, respectively, before the head football coach at Coastal Carolina Coach Bennett’s program made its assault on the NCAA Division II national football University after leading the Chants to a 6-5 scene. The 1999 season saw Catawba post an 11-2 record and earn the first of three record in the program’s inaugural season in NCAA Division II playoff berths. An 11-1 record and another SAC Championship came 2003. He became the first-ever head coach at in 2000, but the best was yet to come. In 2001, Catawba went 11-2 to give Bennett CCU on December 21, 2001. a 33-5 record over the past three seasons. The Indians won the SAC Championship Bennett, born in Greer, South Carolina, and the South Region Championship before falling to Grand Valley State in the national came to Coastal Carolina after serving seven semifinals. In addition to the incredible seven-year record as a head coach, Bennett years as the Head Coach at Catawba College earned four SAC Coach of the Year honors and three AFCA South Region Coach of in Salisbury, North Carolina. the Year honors during his career with the Indians. “We are very pleased to have David “It is tough to leave such a great family at Catawba, but it is great to be joining Bennett and his family here at Coastal Carolina a great family at Coastal Carolina University,” said Bennett. “Everyone I met while University,” said Dr. Ronald R. Ingle, President visiting the University — from Dr. Ingle, to Dr. Sally Horner, to Coach Koegel, to the of the University. “He has a proven record as a coach and came highly recommended faculty, staff and other head coaches — they all have a genuine interest and passion not only from people throughout South Carolina, but also nationally. Air Force Head to start a football program in a first-class way. We are honored to be selected to be Coach Fisher Deberry brought Coach Bennett to my attention when he sent me a letter a part of the dream that will become a reality. This is the ultimate challenge for any stressing that David was the person we needed to hire.” coach. To take a program that does not even have a ball yet and build it from the ground In seven years as the head coach at Catawba, Bennett posted an overall record up.” of 63-17, leading the Indians to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division Raised in Cheraw, South Carolina, Bennett earned 10 varsity letters at Cheraw II playoffs, including a run into the national semifinal round in 2001. High School, where he was named All-Conference in football, basketball, tennis and “David Bennett has had proven success at Catawba College and we are pleased track. A three-year-starter in football, including the final two at quarterback, he led the to have him as the inaugural football coach at Coastal Carolina University,” said Warren Braves to a 20-4 record his final two seasons, including the 1979 AAA State Koegel, CCU’s Director of Athletics. “Coach Bennett genuinely cares about the well- Championship. being of the student-athletes as well as their involvement in the community. He is an A 1984 graduate of Presbyterian College, Bennett lettered in football and golf excellent teacher of the game and will be able to put together a plan that will enable while earning a Bachelor of Art’s degree in history and social studies with a minor in Coastal Carolina to be competitive in I-AA football. As a native of Cheraw, he has a coaching. He earned the Unsung Hero Award from his teammates for his play during great rapport with high school coaches throughout South Carolina.” the 1983 season. He also began his coaching career at Presbyterian, working with the Bennett, 42, joined the Catawba staff in 1990 as an assistant coach and was wide receivers as a student assistant. promoted to head coach on November 14, 1994. In his first season, he led the Indians Bennett earned his Master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Clemson to a 7-3 record, earning both South Atlantic Conference and American Football Coach’s University in 1986, where he worked with the running backs on the Tigers’ 1986 ACC Association Coach of the Year honors. The 1996 Indians’ squad posted a 9-2 record Championship squad. While at Clemson, he coached in the Independence and Gator and captured the SAC Championship. Bowls. In 1987, he served as the offensive coordinator at Goose Creek High School, BENNETT’S HEAD COACHING YEAR-BY-YEAR a AAAA program in Charleston, South Carolina. The Gators boasted the top rushing Year School Record Highlights offense in the state that season. Coach Bennett then coached at Newberry College 1995 Catawba 7-3 SAC & AFCA Coach of the Year before accepting the position at Catawba. He and his wife Melanie have a daughter, Hayes (11) and a son, Jeb (8). 1996 Catawba 9-2 SAC Championship 1997 Catawba 8-3 1998 Catawba 6-4 1999 Catawba 11-2 SAC Championship; NCAA D-II Playoffs, SAC Coach of the Year 2000 Catawba 11-1 SAC Championship; NCAA D-II Playoffs, SAC Coach of the Year, AFCA Region Coach of the Year 2001 Catawba 11-2 SAC Championship; NCAA D-II Playoffs and South Region Champion- ship, advanced to national semifinals, SAC Coach of the Year, AFCA Region Coach of the Year 2002 Coastal Carolina n/a Developed program as first-ever coach 2003 Coastal Carolina 6-5 Winning record in school’s inaugural season Overall Eight Years 69-22 4 Titles, 4 Coach of the Year Awards 44 2004 Media Guide Coastal Carolina Football Q&A WITH COACH BENNETT After a season of football at Coastal Carolina, head coach David Bennett sat the goalposts being torn down. That first game was just overwhelming, and the down to talk about his thoughts on the program after the inaugural season. community support for the entire season was just, well, you couldn’t ask for anything more. We’ve gotta do a better job this year to give them a better product on the field. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in actually playing that first year? You’ve got a one of the best stadiums in I-AA. How much does that help? When we added the 2003 recruiting class, those guys had to be ready right away. Going We do have a great stadium, but we’ve gotta add all the other pieces to it. The biggest through that first year, there were a lot of headaches. But when we look at it in a positive piece of the puzzle is laid. But we’ve gotta put the other ones around it to finish it off. light, it’s gonna make us all better in the long run, whether we were a player or a coach We are working that way though, adding another weight room, coaches’ offices, and -- no matter how we were involved with this football program. Now, I still look at it this meeting rooms. way, even though I’m not an artist at all. It’s like we’re doing a sculpture out of clay and we’ve got some of it done. However, we’re going to continue working on, as it’s For recruiting, how big an impact is the stadium? going to be a four- or five-year process. The quicker, though, that we can work towards I think it’s great, but the other universities use the other things against us, since we don’t achieving championship status, be that on the field winning a championship, in the have it. We have to show recruits that it is on the way.The guys that want to be a part classroom, in the community and in these young men’s lives, the better off we’re going of building a foundation and starting a tradition are embraced even more because they to be. I don’t know if it’s going to take four or five years, because starting one from could’ve gone to other places. Instead they chose Coastal because of, not only that scratch is certainly a lot tougher than taking over a program and changing the attitude. stadium, but I think it’s more to do with the people that are here, the closeness of our We’re sculpting this thing and getting it down to where we want 125 guys that all believe staff, this university and the education that it offers. The location ain’t bad, either. So in what we believe. And, those are our priorities, God and family first, education, the there are a lot of other things that go into it, rather than just that stadium, but it helps. classroom, community second, and football third. When we get everybody on-board with that, and it’s not their How has the way you’ve been received after the first personal agenda, like ‘we’ll fit in this football thing when year by high school coaches changed? we feel like we can’, then we will have the complete It’s amazing how much that they heard of what was going sculpture built. on, so many thought it was going to be good. When we had our high school coaches clinic here in February, they Within the first year of actually playing, what kind had the chance to see our stadium.