It began as the Salisbury-Rowan Merchants Association’s year-end banquet.
It turned out to be David Bennett Appreciation Night.
The SRMApulled a fast one on Bennett, the head football coach at Catawba College. He thought he was simply the guest speaker and he gave the 300 or so in attendance a good dose of his country-flavored humor.
Then, the association gave back.
Bennett sat stunned as a short film showcased his life and football career. The SRMA also dedicated a new annual award, the David M. Bennett Award.
It will be presented annually to the student athlete who demonstrates genuine dedication to serving the public.
“I don’t deserve this in my name,” Bennett said. “Iam truly humbled.”
SRMAexecutive vice-president Richard Perkins said there had been a lot of planning to keep the new award a secret from Bennett.
“We’ve been trying to get this put together for two years,” Perkins explained. “The SRMA tries to identify folks in our community who go above and beyond the call of duty. David’s name surfaced to the top. He has been a real inspiration, not only to his players, but his coaches and his staff and everyone he comes in contact with.”
Bennett is 52-15 in six years at Catawba, the best winning percentage in school history. He has coached the Indians to consecutive appearances in the NCAADivision II playoffs and 22 wins over the past two seasons.
This past year, Catawba won its first outright South Atlantic Conference title, including its first 11 games before falling in the national quarterfinals.
But Bennett also made his name known in the county by having his players do plenty of public service work. For instance, his players visited elementary schools to serve as role models on a weekly basis.
“There’s a lot we do but it’s not me doing it,” Bennett said. “It’s the good Lord. On behalf of my family and the other people I’ve met in my life, we accept this award and are very humbled by it.”
Bennett thought he was going to be speaking to about 50 people and even after the room filled with many of his former coaches and friends, he still had no clue what was about to happen.
But then, the film was shown and some tears were shed as Gordon Kirkland and Martha West presented the award in Bennett’s honor.
“We just felt like he needed recognition,” Perkins said. “He really doesn’t like it. But we certainly appreciate all of his efforts.”
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