Dick Bennett

Class of 1965: Legendary basketball coach

Wisconsin coaching legend Richard Anthony “Dick” Bennett was a star student-athlete at Ripon College and went on to become one of the most accomplished basketball coaches in the state of Wisconsin.

He was born April 20, 1943, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Clintonville, Wisconsin. At Ripon, he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and played four years each in basketball (guard), football (halfback, returner) and baseball (third baseman).
He was a member of seven conference championship teams in football (2), baseball (2) and basketball (3).

“I really wanted to go to college. I went (to Ripon) as an athlete because I knew I wanted to coach basketball. But I was recruited to play football and baseball by John Storzer and (Kermit) ‘Doc’ Weiske, Class of 1950, — who are still two of my heroes. My athletic dreams overshadowed my educational dreams, but it didn’t take long for me to really appreciate the liberal arts approach. It enabled me to study literature and associated kinds of courses, and it opened up a whole new area in life for me.”

He said he fell in love with his courses in literature and drama. “I got to sample the real liberal arts strength of the college,” he said. “It opened my eyes to a whole other kind of education, and that has stayed with me.”

He earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a teaching certificate in English. Before turning to full-time coaching, he taught physical education for two years and literature for nine years.

As a coach, he was named Wisconsin High School Coach of the Year in 1976 after coaching Eau Claire Memorial High School to the state title game and was named NAIA District IV Coach of the Year in 1984 after taking the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men’s team to a national runner-up finish.

Bennett took the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s team to the NCAA tournament three times before taking the University of Wisconsin-Madison head coaching job in 1995. He led the Badgers to three NCAA tournament appearances, including a run to the Final Four in 2000 – a first for the school in more than 50 years. Bennett closed out his career with three seasons as head coach at Washington State University. He amassed a 489-307 record as a collegiate coach.

He was inducted into the Ripon College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2013, Bennett was awarded the Coach Wooden “Keys to Life” Award, presented by Athletes in Action for outstanding character, integrity, and leadership.
Bennett said two of his brothers attended public universities, and he and his brother, John “Jack” Bennett, Class of 1971, both attended Ripon. They still discuss the differences in their education, and Bennett said, “I still think my brother, Jack, and I did the right thing in coming to Ripon!”, he said.
Bennett’s coaching legacy continues through two of his children. His son, Tony Bennett, has served as head coach of the University of Virginia’s Cavaliers men’s basketball team, which won the NCAA Div. 1 national championship game in 2019.

His daughter, Kathi Bennett, served as head women’s basketball coach at Marycrest College, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where her team won the 1996 National Championship and she was named Coach of the Year; University of Evansville; Indiana University; UW-Madison; and Northern Illinois University.