The Coast News (Page 1)

A20 THE COAST NEWS
SEPT. 28, 2012
From a chance tryout to a hall of famer, Bennett never imagined successes
By Tony Cagala
CARLSBAD — It wasn’t long after he’d
found out that he was to be the newest inductee
into the Chargers Hall of Fame that Darren
Bennett, the Chargers most distinguished punter,
was back on the field at La Costa Canyon High
School doing what his former NFL teammates
knew him for best — sharing.
“This is my favorite three hours a day,”
Bennett said during Tuesday afternoon’s
Mavericks’ football practice.
For the past three years, Bennett, a Pro
Bowler and member of the NFL’s all-Decade
team of the ‘90s, has been coaching special teams
at the school where his sons Tom and Will attend.
Tom is a kicker on the junior varsity team and
Will helps to coach the special teams.
Bennett is eager to share all of his experiences,
knowledge and advice with the young athletes.
Codey Wuthrich, one of the Maverick’s varsity
kickers, said that it was a real privilege to be
mentored by Bennett.“Every time I go to a camp
or some sort of event, I tell them that I’ve been
training with Bennett and everybody is just
amazed at how privileged that I’m out here training
with him every day.”
Special teams kicker and punter Adam
Allmaras, a senior at La Costa Canyon, has spent
three years learning from Bennett. “It’s been better
than anything else,” Allmaras said. “He’s
super nice, first of all, and I mean, it’s a real privilege
because he’s such a great punter, and then
also, no one else is being taught by a professional
punter in the county,it’s the most beneficial thing
for us.”
Bennett’s mentoring extends beyond La
Costa. The Carlsbad resident has taken a countless
number of up-and-coming and professional
punters under his wing, going so far as to take
them into his home where his wife Rosemary
would cook them meals.
We’re passing the knowledge on, Bennett
said. “That’s a very Australian thing. Billy Ray
Smith said to me once,‘What are you doing?’ And
I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He goes, ‘You don’t
give them anything. You hold on to that job as
long as you can.’ I go,‘Mate, sometimes you know
that horse is going to buck you off.’
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Former Chargers punter Darren Bennett (right) takes a moment on the sidelines with La Costa Canyon High
School kicker Codey Wuthrich where Bennett coaches special teams. Bennett will be inducted in to the
Chargers Hall of Fame Nov. 25. Photos by Tony Cagala
From left: Jim Carney, Darren Bennett, David Binn, Mike Scifres and Chargers CEO and
Executive Director A.G. Spanos pose together following the announcement of Bennett’s
induction into the team’s Hall of Fame Tuesday.
“As an Australian, we’re taught to pass our
knowledge on to the young guys and try to have
the young body with a bit of the older mind go
and do better.”
From Australia to San Diego, Bennett, the
Aussie-rule footballer-turned-American football
punter never imagined so many successes and
honors would come to him from playing a game.
When he tried out for the Chargers back in the
early ‘90s, the only thing he thought he was going
to get was a t-shirt, a free football and a look
around an NFL stadium, he said.
“The first punt in the NFL was exciting and
then every other punt was exciting,” he said.
“You don’t do it thinking that you may make the
hall of fame.And then the other thing is,” he said,
“I don’t know that there’s many punters in the
team hall of fames around the NFL. It’s not usually
an accolade that someone who punts, gets.”
Allmaras was one of the fans to vote Bennett
into the team’s Hall of Fame. It was the first time
ever that the Chargers had allowed fans to select
the inductee.
As for Bennett’s election into the Chargers
Hall of Fame: “I think it’s incredible,” Wuthrich
said.“I’m very proud and honored to be one of his
students.”
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