Coastal Carolina relieves football coach David Bennett of duties

The only head coach Coastal Carolina football has ever known is out after nine seasons.

David Bennett has been relieved of his coaching duties and will be reassigned within the university to an as yet unspecified role, CCU President David DeCenzo said in a news conference Friday evening.

Hired in 2002 after a successful run at Division II Catawba College, Bennett launched Coastal football in advance of its 2003 debut and finishes his tenure nine seasons later with a 63-39 record.

The always colorful and ever quotable face of the program, Bennett led the Chants to early heights with Big South Conference championships in 2004, 2005 and 2006, winning at least nine games each of those seasons while reaching the FCS playoffs in 2006. But the program failed to sustain its early success, going 29-28 over the last five seasons.

And after spending the past few weeks reviewing the state of the program along with athletic director Hunter Yurachek, DeCenzo has decided it’s time for new leadership.

DeCenzo said Friday, “As president, I am held accountable by a variety of constituencies to answer these questions: Is our football program headed in the right direction? Is it helping the university in its long-term strategic direction? Is the university getting a good return on the significant investment we have made in the facilities and the operations of the football program?

“I have spoken at length with a sizable number of students, faculty, staff, trustees, supporters, donors, alumni, former football players and members of the community. Additionally, the director of athletics has provided me a thorough evaluation of our football program. It was made quite clear to me that the energy and vitality appear to be gone from our football program and that a change is needed.”

Bennett signed a 10-year contract that went into effect in May of 2007, paying him an initial base salary of $160,000 with annual 8-percent raises, in addition to other incentives and add-ons. DeCenzo said Bennett has accepted his reassignment, the details of which aren’t expected to be decided until January.

In the meanwhile, Yurachek said he plans to begin the process of finding a new head coach – which will come from outside the program – immediately.

“During the past five years, this university has made a significant financial investment in salaries, operating budgets and facilities tied to our football program,” Yurachek said. “Upon completion of the review, it was evident that the success of our program was not reflective of these investments. David Bennett has been the only face and the only leader this football program has ever known. And if our program is going to take the next step, it is now time for our program to have a new face and a new leader.

Yurachek said Friday night the announcement was delayed until Bennett could return from a recruiting trip. DeCenzo said the decision was not at all related to the news Friday that longtime CCU football equipment coordinator Wilson Beaver had been arrested on charges of embezzlement and forgery.

Yurachek plans to meet with the team’s assistant coaches and players Sunday night. The rest of Bennett’s coaching staff will be retained in the interim and evaluated by the next head coach, he said.

After several lean years, the Chants finished the 2010 season strong, winning their final four regular-season games to earn a share of the Big South championship – their first since 2006. They also earned the conference’s FCS playoff bid through a tiebreaker to reach the postseason for the second time in program history.

The team then finished 7-4 this season, enduring a three-game losing streak in the middle of conference play to end any thoughts of a postseason return. That stretch included lopsided road losses to rival Liberty (63-27) and Stony Brook (42-0) and, in between, a 26-24 Homecoming loss to Gardner-Webb. Yurachek later expressed his frustration in the lack of student fans who remained in the stands to watch the end of that game – a sign of waning interest in the program.

“It is true that we had a winning record this season, but the record shows that the competitive stature of our program has diminished significantly against peer FCS programs,” DeCenzo said. “Our expenditures in football, quite frankly, are not resulting in a return on our investment. Of the 125 FCS schools, our spending on football operations is easily in the top 20. With that investment, we expect to annually place in the top 20 with sights set on competing consistently for the FCS playoffs and national championships. That simply is not happening.’’

DeCenzo noted that the Chants have defeated only three teams with a winning record over the last five seasons and that attendance has “fallen sharply” with the program selling “about 50 percent of our available tickets.”

“It is imperative that we find a way to create excitement around our program, attract more fans to Brooks Stadium and increase our revenues to offset our expenditures,” DeCenzo said. “This was to date the hardest decision I’ve had to make as president of this institution. Upon reviewing all the information I have gathered about the current state of our football program, I could do something or I could do nothing. I have chosen to do something. The status quo is unacceptable.”

Bennett could not be reached for comment Friday night, but his agent Ricky Lefft expressed his disappointment.

“I’m very disappointed because coach has done so much to build the program and help build the university,” Lefft said. “It’s disappointing because coach has done a tremendous amount from starting the program from scratch to sustaining it.”

CCU offensive coordinator Kevin Brown declined to comment on his future with the team.

David Duran, a senior tight end on the 2011 team who is hoping to acquire an extra year of eligibility due to medical hardship, said he was at a wedding rehearsal in Atlanta on Friday night when his phone “blew up” with text messages and calls about the announcement.

“I’m in complete shock. I didn’t see it coming,” Duran said. “I’m trying to piece everything together. ... I had a great relationship with coach Bennett. He gave me a chance once I decided to transfer [from Michigan State]. I will always be grateful for that. He really made an effort to improve us as men more than football players.

“There may be deeper issues that come to light soon. The reason seems really bland to me. I don’t understand it. I don’t get it right now.”

Asked if the remaining money on Bennett’s contract would affect the university’s budget for hiring the next head coach, DeCenzo said he didn’t expect that to be an issue.

“If coach [Bennett], in agreement with me, we find that reassignment, that money line will come out of the athletic budget and the monies that were being used to pay for the head coach will go to that program in general.”

Both DeCenzo and Yurachek commended Bennett for his work in launching the program – which produced NFL players like quarterback Tyler Thigpen, running back Mike Tolbert and receiver Jerome Simpson in its early years – and for his impact on the players he coached.

It was just time, they said, for a change.

“We want to win a national championship here. We want to fill our stands,” Yurachek said. “We want the financial commitment that this university has made to our football program and to athletics in general, we want to see the return on that investment. So we’re looking for somebody that can come in and help us take the next step.

“I think David has done an unbelievable job in starting this program and getting it to the point where it’s at. Now I think, for a little cliche, [it’s time] for him to hand the ball off to somebody else and let them run with it and take the next step.”