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Phil Bennett named head football coach
Phil Bennett, the defensive coordinator at Kansas State for the
past three years, has been named head coach of the SMU football
program. Bennett replaces Mike Cavan, who was dismissed Nov. 19
and compiled an 18-28 record the past five seasons. “This announcement is the next step in our commitment to excellence
within our football program,” Athletics Director Jim Copeland
said at a press conference Dec. 5. “We plan to win championships
here at SMU, and Phil has all of the characteristics that we were
looking for in a leader of our program. He is passionate, enthusiastic,
disciplined, has great integrity and a great football mind. “We encountered a broad and talented pool of candidates during the search process, and without a doubt, Phil Bennett is the best fit for our program.” A 23-year veteran of college coaching, Bennett has been the defensive
coordinator for six teams in addition to Kansas State, including
Oklahoma University, TCU, LSU, Purdue, Iowa State, and Texas A&M,
his alma mater. Bennett has coordinated the Kansas State defense since 1999, helping
the Wildcats to appearances in Holiday, Cotton, and Insight.com
Bowls. This year, the Wildcats rank third nationally in total defense,
allowing 262.4 yards per game. K-State ranked fourth in the country
in total defense in 2000 and second in 1999. Bennett was twice (1999,
2001) nominated for the Frank Broyles Award, presented annually
to the Nation’s top assistant coach. The Marshall, Texas, native, who is the 15th head coach in SMU
football history, recruited in Dallas, Central Texas, and East Texas
for Kansas State. “That was one of the many great things about him,” Copeland
said. “He has strong ties to this state and its high school
coaches.” Bennett was the co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 1998, when
the Sooners ranked sixth in the nation in total defense. He was
the defensive coordinator at TCU in 1997 when the Horned Frogs ranked
among the nation’s top 30 in total defense. Bennett was a three-year letterman as a defensive end at Texas
A&M and earned second team All-Southwest Conference honors as
a senior. He has two children – Sam, 14, and Maddie, 11. |
(From left) Athletics Director Jim Copeland announced Dec. 5 the appointment of Phil Bennett, former defensive coordinator for Kansas State University, as SMU’s head football coach.
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Copyright © 2002 Southern Methodist University. All rights reserved. Last updated: Thursday, January 31, 2002 11:03 AM |