John Benington
American basketball player and coach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John E. Benington (December 31, 1921 – September 10, 1969)[1] was an American basketball coach who was the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans at the time of his death. He had previously been the head coach for the Drake Bulldogs and Saint Louis Billikens.
Findlay, Ohio, U.S.
East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
 Benington in 1964 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 31, 1921 Findlay, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | September 10, 1969 (aged 47) East Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1947–1949 | San Francisco |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1950–1956 | Michigan State (assistant) |
| 1956–1958 | Drake |
| 1958–1965 | Saint Louis |
| 1965–1969 | Michigan State |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1964–1965 | Saint Louis |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 299–203 |
| Tournaments | 3–4 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Big Ten regular season (1967) | |
College playing career
A native of Findlay, Ohio, Benington attended the University of San Francisco on a football scholarship after he finished his service in the United States Armed Forces during World War II.[2] He was knocked out during his first game and decided to instead play on the basketball team.[2] He played two seasons with the Dons, where he captained the squad that won the 1949 National Invitation Tournament.[2]
Coaching career
Benington was the assistant basketball coach at Michigan State University (1950–1956) under Pete Newell and Forddy Anderson.
Benington served a combined 14 seasons as head men's basketball coach at Drake University (1956–1958), St. Louis University (1958–1965) and Michigan State (1965–1969). He led Saint Louis to four NIT appearances including the finals of the 1961 NIT where they lost to Providence.
Personal life
Benington was married and had nine children.[2]
Death
On April 11, 1969, Benington suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized for six weeks.[2] He was determined to return to coaching full-time.[2] On September 10, Benington was found dead on the floor of the coaches' lockerroom in Jenison Fieldhouse by his wife and freshman basketball coach.[2] His cause of death was diagnosed as a massive heart attack.[2]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake Bulldogs (Missouri Valley Conference) (1956–1958) | |||||||||
| 1956–57 | Drake | 8–16 | 4–10 | 8th | |||||
| 1957–58 | Drake | 13–12 | 4–10 | 8th | |||||
| Drake: | 21–28 (.429) | 8–20 (.286) | |||||||
| Saint Louis Billikens (Missouri Valley Conference) (1958–1965) | |||||||||
| 1958–59 | Saint Louis | 20–6 | 10–4 | 3rd | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1959–60 | Saint Louis | 19–8 | 9–5 | 3rd | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1960–61 | Saint Louis | 21–9 | 7–5 | T–3rd | NIT Runner-up | ||||
| 1961–62 | Saint Louis | 11–15 | 5–7 | 5th | |||||
| 1962–63 | Saint Louis | 16–12 | 6–6 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1963–64 | Saint Louis | 13–12 | 6–6 | T–4th | |||||
| 1964–65 | Saint Louis | 18–9 | 9–5 | T–2nd | NIT First Round | ||||
| Saint Louis: | 118–71 (.624) | 52–38 (.578) | |||||||
| Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten Conference) (1965–1969) | |||||||||
| 1965–66 | Michigan State | 15–7 | 10–4 | 2nd | |||||
| 1966–67 | Michigan State | 16–7 | 10–4 | T–1st | |||||
| 1967–68 | Michigan State | 12–12 | 6–8 | T–6th | |||||
| 1968–69 | Michigan State | 11–12 | 6–8 | T–5th | |||||
| Michigan State: | 54–38 (.631) | 32–24 (.571) | |||||||
| Total: | 299–203 (.596) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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