- Date Of Birth: December 13, 1943
- Date Of Death: January 12, 2021
- Occupation: Football player
Lamar Bruce Bennett Jr. (December 13, 1943 – January 12, 2021) was an American college and professional football player who was a safety in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for seven seasons during the 1960s and early 1970s. Bennett played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. Thereafter, he played professionally for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.
Bennett was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1943. He attended Valdosta High School, and played quarterback for the Valdosta Wildcats high school football team. As a junior in 1960, he led the Wildcats to a 20–14 victory over Avondale High School in the Georgia state championship game. Bennett ran for a touchdown, threw for another, and ran for a third with twenty-nine seconds remaining to win the game. As a senior in 1961, he was recognized as a high school All-American.
Bennett joined the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1966, and participated in the team’s 29–10 Grey Cup victory over Ottawa. He played for the Roughriders from 1966 to 1972, and became one of the league’s top safeties. He also was the team’s go-to “good hands” player for onside kicks, and served as the team’s emergency quarterback, completing 8 of 17 passes in his CFL career. He registered career highs of eight interceptions in both 1969 and 1971. In seven CFL seasons, Bennett played in 112 games, and totaled thirty-five interceptions (including two he returned for touchdowns), and 606 return yards. His career interception total still ranks third on the Roughriders’ all-time list. Bennett’s teammates selected him as the team captain four times, and he earned six Western Conference All-Star selections (1967–1972) and one CFL All-Star selection (1969).
Bruce Bennett died on January 12, 2021, in Ocala, Florida from complications of pneumonia and COVID-19. He was 77. – Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License from Wikipedia.
