John Bennett
From WikiRun
| John Bennett | |
| Nationality | United States |
|---|---|
| PR | HJ – 6-5½ (1.97) (1953); LJ – 26-3¼ (8.01) (1955). |
| Born | November 14, 1930 at Grand Forks, ND |
| Current Residence | Middleton, WI |
| High School | Grand Forks (ND) Central HS |
| College | Marquette University |
| Club | U.S. Army |
John Dale Bennett (1930-) is an American long jumper who won a silver medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics.
While at Marquette, Bennett was a two-time All-American in the long jump, won the NCAA championship with a jump of 25' 3 1/4" in 1953 and again in 1954 with an even longer jump that distanced 25' 10 3/4". He won the 1954 AAU, NCAA and IC4A titles. He also won the 1954 AAU broad jump and captured the event at the Central Collegiate indoor and outdoor meets in 1953 and 1954, respectively. In 1954 he also won the IC4A high jump.
Bennett took home second-place honors in the long jump at the 1955 Pan American Games with a personal best of 26' 3 3/8", but finished behind Roslyn Range. Bennett took part in 31 additional long jump competitions in Europe and South America over his career and amassed an unblemished 31-0 record in those events.
Bennett also placed second at the 1956 Olympics behind Greg Bell. Bell beat Bennett again at the post-Olympic U.S. vs. British Empire meet. Although competing only occasionally in 1957, Bennett was runner-up in the AAU. He retired at the end of the 1958 season and later owned and operated a men’s clothing store in Wisconsin.
