Dick Bennett
Dick Bennett (born April 20, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States) is currently the head men's basketball coach at Washington State University. Bennett, who went to high school in Clintonville, Wisconsin and graduated from Ripon College (Wisconsin), was hired at Washington State on March 29, 2003.
Prior to arriving at WSU, Bennett was the head coach at the University of Wisconsin where he led the Badgers to the Final Four in 2000. During his tenure there he was 94-68 (.580) from 1995-2000. He took the Badgers to three NCAA appearances and one NIT bid. Wisconsin 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.
Before taking the job at Wisconsin, Bennett was the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He took the job prior to the 1985-86 season. He inherited a team that was 4-24 the year before he arrived and produced a winning record (15-14) in just his second season. He won the 1990 Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year award after leading the Phoenix to a 24-8 mark and the second round of the NIT.
The following season, led by son Tony Bennett, the Phoenix rolled to a 24-7 record and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, losing 60-58 to Michigan State in the first round. During the 1991-92 campaign, UW-GB went 25-5 and won its first regular season conference title.
The 1993-94 squad was 27-7, won the conference title and knocked off 16th-ranked California, which was led by Jason Kidd and Lamond Murray. In his final year with the Phoenix, Bennett returned to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Big Ten champion Purdue 49-48 to close out a 22-8 season.
Before coaching Green Bay Coach Bennett was the Head Coach 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 was a team featuring former NBA All-Star Terry Porter and current Saint Louis University Head Coach Brad Soderberg.
Bennett has been revered for years for his defensive prowess. While at Wisconsin his teams led the Big 10 in scoring defense four straight years and finished in the top-five nationally three times. Statistics, however, do not tell the entire story about Bennett. He is highly respected by his peers. During the 1998-99 season, Sports Illustrated polled 115 college basketball coaches and asked the question, "If you could only go to one coaching clinic, whose would it be?" The top four vote-getters were Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Majerus, Dick Bennett and Bob Knight (then with Indiana).
Bennett's daughter Kathi Bennett is the former head women's basketball coach at Indiana. His son Tony Bennett is currently his top assistant at WSU and will succeed his father as head basketball coach upon his 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.