Ambrose L. Bennett (February 20, 1924 – June 25, 2008) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

and a member of the school's 1945–46 national championship team. Bennett, a 6'3" forward from

Holdenville, Oklahoma Holdenville is a city in and county seat of Hughes County, Oklahoma, Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,934 at the time of the 2020 United States census. History Holdenville traces its origin to a Creek settlement calle ...

, came to

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

(then known as Oklahoma A&M) in 1942. However, he was soon volunteered for service in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Bennett fought in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

and was wounded, earning a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

.A.L. Bennett Passes Away
accessed August 21, 2011 After the war, in 1945, Bennett returned to Oklahoma A&M and was a key reserve for the Aggies' 1946 NCAA championship team under coach

Henry Iba Henry Payne “Hank” Iba (; August 6, 1904 – January 15, 1993) was an American basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College, now known as Northwes ...

. Bennett became a starter for his last two seasons, earning first team All-

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...

honors in 1947 and 1948. Bennett was also named a third team All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

in 1948, his senior year. He scored 628 points in his Aggie career, averaging 7.7 points per game.2007-08 Oklahoma State men's basketball media guide
, page 89 After graduation, Bennett was drafted by the

Providence Steamrollers The Providence Steamrollers were a Basketball Association of America team based in Providence, Rhode Island. As of 2025, the Steamrollers were the last professional sports franchise from one of the Big Four leagues to be based in Rhode Island. ...

. He opted to play in the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

with the

Phillips 66ers The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers) were an amateur basketball team located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. The 66ers were a national phenomenon that grew from a small-town team to an orga ...

instead, and worked for the

Phillips Petroleum Company Phillips Petroleum Company was an American oil company incorporated in 1917 that expanded into petroleum refining, marketing and transportation, natural gas gathering and the chemicals sectors. It was Phillips Petroleum that first found oil in th ...

for over 18 years. A. L. Bennett died on June 25, 2008, and was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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* 1924 births 2008 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Oklahoma Forwards (basketball) Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball players Phillips 66ers players Providence Steamrollers draft picks United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers 20th-century American sportsmen {{1920s-US-basketball-bio-stub