Bob Bennett

Bobby Gene Bennett passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2020 after a twenty-year battle with Parkinson's Disease. Bob was surrounded by his wife of nearly sixty-five years, Jane, his children, Karen Prieto, Brad Bennett and Todd Bennett, and four of his eight grandchildren. Bob was born on June 22, 1933 in Atwood, Oklahoma to James Arthur and Ella Mae Bennett. The family were victims of the Dust Bowl, and became migrant farm workers, moving between Oklahoma and California. Bob's work life began at the age of five, picking cotton. Growing up in poverty, and learning the value and necessity of hard work forged a man who later found great success in his chosen field of coaching and teaching. Bob's family settled in Fresno in the 1940s. He graduated from Roosevelt High School, and Fresno State College where he excelled in Baseball. Baseball was one of his many passions. Playing for Ollie Bidwell and Pete Beiden, Bob learned the importance of fundamentals and how to use coaching baseball to teach character and values. During college, he met the love of his life, Sara Jane. They were married in 1955 and built a great family. After his playing career at Fresno State, where he was a four-year starting catcher, Bob was drafted by the Detroit Tigers, but opted for a career in coaching. He began his coaching and teaching career at Kingsburg High School. From there, he moved to Bullard High, where he built a successful baseball program. While at Bullard, Bob taught P.E., business classes, and driver's education. He truly loved his students and players. Bob had an amazing memory for the students he taught because each one held a special place in his life. In 1967, he was given the opportunity to act as the head varsity baseball coach at Fresno State when Pete Beiden took a sabbatical. Bob led the 1967 team to a league championship. When Beiden retired, Bob was chosen to coach the bulldogs full time. For thirty-four years, Coach Bennett was employed on a year-to-year contract. He led the baseball teams to 1302 wins, 26 consecutive winning seasons, 21 NCAA tournament appearances, and two College World Series appearances. He was selected as a charter member of the Bulldog Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. He was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992 and the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. His jersey No. 26 was retired by the school. He led the effort in organizing fundraising, developing the Dugout Club, and building the state-of-the-art baseball facility known as Beiden Field. In 2016, he was honored by Fresno State when the stadium was dedicated in his honor, renaming it Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium. Bob was also honored to serve as the head coach the USA National Baseball Teams on two occasions and assistant on several others. Bob was especially proud of the fact that he had the opportunity to coach his two sons, his son-in-law, and two of his grandsons at Fresno State. He was dedicated to Central Valley athletics hosting numerous clinics, and summer camps, teaching thousands of kids the fundamentals of baseball, also working to develop several coaches throughout the area and around the world. Bob was also an accomplished writer and poet. He wrote several books and produced instructional videos on catching, pitching, infield play, and hitting. He wrote hundreds of poems which were published in five separate books. After retiring from Fresno State, he continued to follow his passion for teaching and coaching, giving private lessons, and working with high school teams, including Fresno Christian and those coached by his grandson at Clovis East, Sunnyside, Central High School, and Clovis North. Bob's greatest passion was the family that he and Jane led. He is survived by his daughter Karen and her husband Bob Prieto, son Brad and his wife Boogi, son Todd and his wife Kim, eight grandchildren and their spouses, Jeff and Jamie Prieto, Dr. Jordan and Kristen Prieto, Brett and Karin Prieto, Brandon and Corinne Prieto, Natalie and Royce King, Hannah Overton, Katherine Bennett, and Mark Bennett, and 13 great grandchildren, and his sister Betty Zimmerman, and six nieces and nephews. It was important to Coach Bennett that each of his players know that he loved them and was proud of them as individuals and men. He once said, "I'd like to think that I touched some lives along the way, but I know that so, so many have touched mine." A memorial service for family is planned for Monday, June 15, 2020 at New Hope Community Church at 10:00. Due to Covid restrictions, the service will also be livestreamed with a link found at www.newhopechurch.net. The family asks that any donation made in his name be made to either Shriners' Hospital for Children, or St. Jude's. Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. - Theodor Suess Geisel