MADISON, Wis. -- Dick Bennett, who guided Wisconsin to an
NCAA Final Four appearance this year, is retiring because of
burnout.
"I just simply was drained. I just simply could not keep up and
it began to bother me," Bennett said Thursday at a tearful news
conference flanked by his wife, Anne, and athletics director Pat
Richter. "I don't want to go out cynical."
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Thurs., Nov. 30
College basketball lost one of its true gentlemen and one of its finest tacticians and strategists when Dick Bennett retired. His system has been copied and used by countless coaches. He is held in such high esteem in the coaching fraternity. And it was gratifying to see him go to the Final Four last year and have his abilities validated for the masses.
Bennett is a quiet, introspective and thoughtful man. He is not one for show. And it was nice to see him on the stage that his abilities deserved to be on. Coaching has been his life for 36 years. He has always taken losses hard. He is a perfectionist who expects the most out of his players and, more importantly, himself. I thought it really showed his coaching values when he said it was best to walk away not because he couldn't be at his best for the team.
In a large measure, Bennett has been Wisconsin basketball. Before he got there, Wisconsin went to the NCAA tournament three times in its history. He coached the Badgers for five years and went to the tournament three times. It's a tribute to Bennett that Wisconsin is a respected and feared team to play because of its style and work ethic. It's no fun to play the Badgers because they defend and execute on offense.
It was great for Bennett to go out with a win over Maryland. Maryland did everything it could to force Wisconsin to play out of its style, and the Badgers still found a way to win. That was a nice send-off. |
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The 57-year-old Bennett said his health was fine.
Assistant Brad Soderberg, who played for Bennett at
Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the early 1980s, was hired as interim
coach for the remainder of the season.
"This is a tough day for me because I'm so close to coach,"
Soderberg said. "I just think it's a sad day for basketball in
Wisconsin."
Soderberg said he tried to talk Bennett out of retiring, "but
as he told me, he just ran out of gas."
The Badgers (2-1) are ranked 23rd and have high hopes for a Big
Ten title run when Maurice Linton and Travon Davis return to the
team after serving eight-game NCAA suspensions for receiving extra
benefits.
Soderberg was head coach at South Dakota State (1993-95)
before joining the Wisconsin staff when Bennett became the coach.
Bennett came to Wisconsin in 1995 after twice being passed over
for the Badgers' job. Before that, he spent nine years at
Wisconsin-Stevens Point and 10 seasons at Wisconsin-Green Bay.
"I have been blessed to be able to do the thing I've always
wanted to do, in the state I always wanted to do it and I ended up
at the place I always wanted to be," Bennett said.
In April, the Badgers lost to Michigan State 53-41 in the NCAA
tournament semifinals, the team's first NCAA Final Four appearance
in 59 years.
Afterward, Bennett spent a week mulling retirement but decided
to return for a sixth season.
"I got caught up like everyone else in the euphoria of the
Final Four," Bennett said, "and thought maybe I could just roll
along ..."
Before the Badgers made their unexpected run to the Final Four,
Bennett was the subject of harsh criticism in Wisconsin for his
antiquated style of coaching and his perceived shortcomings in
recruiting. Unlike many coaches, Bennett admits he hears criticism
and is hurt by it.
In truth, Bennett made the Badgers respectable after decades of
ineptitude. In his five years, Wisconsin went to the NCAA
Tournament three times after just three visits in the previous 97
years. His last two teams are the two winningest in school history.
Bennett was among the college game's most respected tacticians
for his defensive system that puts premiums on team play and
execution. He finished with a career record of 453-258, including a
93-69 mark in Madison.
|  | | As Dick Bennett announces his retirement, athletics director Pat Ricter listens glumly Thursday. |
Bennett had four years remaining on a contract that included a
base salary of more than $150,000 and another $210,000 in income
from shoe, TV and radio deals.
Bennett's last two teams each won a school-record 22 games. No
Wisconsin team had won more than 20 games before Bennett's tenure.
He also has directed the Badgers to 24 victories over Top 25
opposition, including a 78-75 overtime victory against No. 13
Maryland on Wednesday night at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
Known throughout the coaching ranks as one of the game's
best defensive coaches, Bennett's Badgers led the Big Ten in
scoring defense for four straight seasons and finished among the
top five in the nation in that category three times.
He has lived in Wisconsin since childhood, and he spent a decade
coaching high school basketball in the state before moving to
Stevens Point in 1976.
Two of his children followed him into coaching. A daughter,
Kathi, is the Indiana women's basketball coach. His son, Tony, is
a Wisconsin assistant coach.
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AUDIO VIDEO
 Dick Bennett steps down as head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers
RealVideo: 28.8
ESPN.com's Andy Katz reports on the retirement of Dick Bennett as head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers.
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RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Dick Bennett comments on why he is stepping down as head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Wisconsin's interim coach Brad Soderberg calls Dick Bennett a basketball genius.
wav: 99 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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