[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20730]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING COACH BOB BENNETT

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                         HON. CALVIN M. DOOLEY

                             of california

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 15, 2002

  Mr. DOOLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my fellow 
colleagues to join me in recognizing Coach Bob Bennett on his 
retirement as the head coach of the Fresno State baseball team.
  Coach Bennett has served as the head coach of the Fresno State 
Bulldogs since 1970, and he recently joined an exclusive club by 
becoming only the seventh coach in NCAA Division I history to win more 
than 1,300 games in his career. Prior to his appointment as head coach 
in 1970, Coach Bennett spent 11 years coaching high school baseball and 
was a standout catcher for Fresno State from 1952-1955.
  During his coaching career, Bob Bennett enjoyed consistent success. 
This past season marked his 26th straight winning season as head coach. 
His teams have won or shared 17 divisional titles, advanced to the NCAA 
regionals 21 times and have gone to the College World Series twice, in 
1988 and 1991. In 1988, the Fresno State Bulldogs were the top ranked 
team in the nation after a 32-game winning streak. Bennett has earned 
conference Coach of the Year honors 14 times and was named NCAA Coach 
of the Year by the Sporting News in 1988.
  Beyond coaching success, Coach Bennett has helped build Pete Beiden 
Field into a well-respected venue for college sports. Under Coach 
Bennett's leadership Fresno State has become a consistent national 
leader in attendance and fan support.
  Coach Bennett's service to Fresno State and the greater community has 
been outstanding. He is a role model that all coaches should look up 
too.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Coach Bob 
Bennett of the Fresno State Bulldogs, and congratulate him on his 45 
years of service as a head coach in my community.

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