Michael Smith Bennett (April 10, 1881 – December 26, 1964) was an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

, and

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

player, coach, athletics administrator, dentist, and politician.

Early life

Bennett was born in

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County, colloquially referred to as Montco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 856,553, making it the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania after Philadel ...

, near Willow Grove and Fitzwatertown, on April 10, 1881. He was one of the eight children, the fourth son, of Elias Roland Bennett and Catherine Carolan. His father came from a family of

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

farmers. Elias served during the Civil War in the 1st New Jersey Cavalry Regiment and deserted after the

Grand Review The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in the national capital city of Washington, D.C., on May 23–24, 1865, following the Union victory in the American Civil War (1861–1865). Elements of the Union Army in th ...

to marry Catherine Carolan, an Irish immigrant and refugee of the Great Hunger. His mother was born in

County Meath, Ireland County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

, and came to the U.S. at age four in 1847 aboard the '' Patrick Henry.'' Michael was named for his mother's great-grandfather, a flax grower, and her brother, a blacksmith and horseshoer in Dreshertown, Feltonville and Franklinville, respectively.

Dentistry, athletics, politics

Bennett graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1905. He practiced dentistry most of his life in the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia. He married Lucy A. Stumpf and they had two sons: Michael John Bennett, M.D., and George Penniman Bennett, M.D. He played

, baseball and basketball for the

Penn Quakers The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 33 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing. Sponsored teams Men's varsit ...

. Afterward, he coached football at

Mercersburg Academy Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent college-preparatory boarding and day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approximately 4 ...

and

Chestnut Hill College Chestnut Hill College is a private Catholic college in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The college was founded in 1924 as a women's college by the Sisters of St. Joseph. It was originally named Mount S ...

. Later, he was named the director of athletics and head football coach at Sewanee: The University of the South. Bennett served on the

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council is the legislative body of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is composed of 17 councilmembers: ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large from throughou ...

from 1916 to 1917 and was elected in 1917 as a Republican to the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

. He did not seek reelection in 1918. In 1929, he visited the Mexican president to promote American collegiate football. Bennett died on December 26, 1964.

Head coaching record

Football

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, M. S. 1881 births 1964 deaths 20th-century American dentists American football ends American men's basketball players Haverford Fords baseball coaches Haverford Fords football coaches Haverford Fords men's basketball coaches Penn Quakers football players Penn Quakers men's basketball players Philadelphia City Council members Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Sewanee Tigers athletic directors Sewanee Tigers football coaches Sewanee Tigers men's basketball coaches Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Philadelphia Basketball players from Philadelphia Baseball coaches from Pennsylvania Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Health professionals from Pennsylvania 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly