Tim Cates talks with Ben Benavides about returning to his alma mater and coaching the high school football team. His dedication on and off to the field to his players has helped turn around the program from a 1-win team to making the Texas HS State Playoffs last season. Ben also talks about his experience going through the Masters in Coaching and Athletics Administration Program at Concordia University Irvine.
About Ben
Benjamin Benavides III is the Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at John F. Kennedy High School in San Antonio, TX. JFK High School is Ben's alma mater and serves a low-income demographic area in San Antonio. In a short amount of time, Ben has turned around a program that had not been to the playoffs since 2009 and led them to a playoff berth in fall 2021.
What is very special about Ben is how he has already turned around the lives of many young men who come from very challenging and difficult circumstances. There is an old saying that a coach's success is not determined by the number of wins produced, but rather by the number of winners produced. Ben is doing that in a powerful way and is giving kids hope and a future through his program and athletic department. He is leaving a legacy in kids that is reflective of one of Lou Holtz' great insights about coaching, “Coaching gives you the chance to be significant as well as successful. The difference between those two is that when you die, your success comes to an end. When you are significant, you continue to help others long after you are gone. Significance lasts many lifetimes.” By any real measure of success, Ben is one of the most significant leaders in San Antonio.
The Mission of our MCAA program is to "Equip and Empower Leaders in Athletics to Transform Lives". Ben is a prime example of what we are trying to accomplish with the MCAA program as he serves as a transformational leader, someone who makes a profound and lasting difference in the lives of those they serve, at his high school.
Tags: Masters in Coaching, Coaching, Teaching, MCAA Podcast, Football, Administrator, NCAA