Phil Bennett

Phil Bennett (born December 3, 1955) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the Interim Head Coach at North Texas. Prior to this, he spent three seasons out of coaching. He has previously served as the defensive coordinator at Arizona State Sun Devils in 2017, the defensive coordinator for the Baylor Bears from 2011-2016, and was interim head coach of the Pittsburgh Panthers during their 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl win over Kentucky after serving as defensive coordinator of the Panthers for three seasons. Prior to coaching the Panthers, he served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2002 to 2007. Before his stint at SMU, he served as an assistant coach at seven different colleges. Coaching career Bennett graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in education in 1978, and was a second-team All-Southwest Conference defensive end as a senior in 1977. He began his coaching career at A&M in 1979 as a part-time defensive ends coach. Since then, he has also held coaching positions at Texas Christian University (1982, 1997), Iowa State University (1983–1986), Purdue University (1987–1990), Louisiana State University (1991–1994), a second stint at Texas A&M (1995–1996), the University of Oklahoma (1998), and Kansas State University (1999–2001). During his first season at Kansas State, in 1999, he was nominated for National Assistant Coach of the Year. During his years as an assistant coach he has coached many stand out players and future NFL players, including Mark Simoneau Monty Beisel, Jerametrius Butler, Dyshod Carter, Lamar Chapman, Jarrod Cooper, Mario Fatafehi, Darren Howard, Ben Leber, Jon McGraw, Terry Pierce and Terence Newman. On October 28, 2007, SMU athletic director Steve Orsini fired Bennett. Orsini notified Bennett that he would be dismissed after the Mustangs' last game on November 24, 2007 against the University of Memphis.