Fresno State Athletics
Legendary Baseball Coach Bob Bennett To Retire After 2002 Season
5/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 23, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State head baseball coach Bob Bennett announced today that he is retiring after the 2002 season, which will be his 34th as the head coach of the Bulldogs. Bennett informed athletics director Dr. Al Bohl of his decision as Fresno State prepares to enter the 2001 NCAA tournament.
"It is my personal desire to retire at the end of the 2002 season," Bennett said. "I am making this decision after lengthy deliberations and discussions with my family. After 45 years of coaching, included 33 years as head baseball coach at Fresno State, I feel strongly that I have done almost all of the things I have wanted to do in coaching. While I look forward to one more season with our program and seeing the fresh talent on this year's team mature to even greater heights, I want to move on with my life, spend more time with my family and pursue other goals of writing, lecturing and conducting clinics."
Under Bennett, the Bulldogs have had 25 consecutive winning seasons, been to the NCAA tournament 21 times and won 17 conference championships. He began his college coaching career at Fresno State in 1967, taking over for Pete Beiden on an interim basis for one season, and returned in 1970 to replace the retiring Beiden. His career record stands at 1,268-730-4 and ranks fifth among active coaches and eighth all-time on the NCAA career coaching victories list. He is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Bennett has been selected the conference coach of the year 14 times, including this season, in which he guided the Bulldogs to a 39-23 record and second place finish in the WAC with a 22-14 record. Fresno State opens the NCAA tournament against Pepperdine on Friday in Los Angeles.
"Fresno State has been very fortunate to have Bob Bennett as its head baseball coach for 33 years," Bohl said. "His record is outstanding and his accomplishments as a coach will likely never be surpassed in school history. The university and all of the baseball fans of the Valley owe a great deal of gratitude to Coach Bennett. The 2002 season will be very special for Fresno State and Bob Bennett and we will be planning several activities to honor him."
Bennett guided the Bulldogs to a pair of College World Series appearances in 1988 and `91. He was selected the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1988, during which the Bulldogs were the nation's No. 1 ranked team. They finished second in the Collegiate Baseball/ESPN poll in 1988. Bennett has been selected the conference coach of the year 14 times.
In 2000, Bennett was honored with the Lefty Gomez Award, selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association, an award that is given annually to an individual who has distinguished himself among his peers and had contributed significantly to the game of baseball.
Bennett is credited with coaching some of the greatest players in Fresno State history, including 30 All-Americans and eight players who were selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. Three former Bulldogs who were coached by Bennett have won Olympic medals. He coached 65 players who earned first-team all-conference honors, including two in 2001, shortstop Josh Labandeira, the WAC Player of the Year, and catcher Brad Harper.
He owns a string of 14 consecutive 30-win seasons. Bennett has won at least 30 games in 30 of his 33 seasons as a head coach and won 40 games or more an amazing 13 times. In 1988, the Bulldogs set a school record with 56 wins and a record of 56-12.
Bohl said a search of Bennett's replacement will begin during the upcoming academic year.
