IGCT Episode #30 Radford's Scott Bennett

Scott Bennett is currently the Head Strength Coach at Radford University.  Prior to that he has been the Head Strength Coach at Wyoming, Southern Miss, and Marshall.  He has had additional stops at with Clemson, Virginia Tech, and James Madison.  A 1989 graduate of the University of Mississippi with a B.S. in Health and Physical Education, Bennett obtained his M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling from Clemson University four years later. While in the Palmetto State, he served as the weightlifting instructor for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and as a graduate assistant of strength and conditioning for the Tigers, before arriving in Blacksburg.

In his career, Bennett has coached a multitude of collegiate athletes who have gone forward to find careers in the professional ranks (over 30 in the NFL), as well as conference champions, national champions, world record holders, and Olympians.

As a professional, he has risen to the top of the strength and conditioning field. Bennett was recently awarded the honor of being part of the NSCA’s (National Strength and Conditioning Association) Coaches Registry at the Emeritus level—the highest level awarded in the field.

Perhaps the honor standing out the most in his impressive list of accolades is his accreditation as a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCCa) since 2006. At the time, there were only 62 certified at this level in the world. Today, there are roughly 100 practicing at the Master’s level.

This honor paved the way for Bennett’s election to the CSCCa Board of Directors, a position he served for two terms. His involvement with the association allowed for him to be chosen as the first strength coach to be invited as an ex officio member of the NCAA Committee for Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports—a position he has held the last three years.

In addition to his numerous certifications in the strength and conditioning field, Bennett was voted by the American Football Quarterly as the College Division Strength Coach of the Year in 1996 and was nominated for the NSCA Strength Coach of the Year in 2002.

In this episode we discuss:

• His journey in the field of Strength and Conditioning.
• Biggest challenges he faces at Radford University
• How he handles multiple sports with limited staff and resources.
• Recommendations for coaches that want to work at the next level.
• Concerns and observations of the profession.
• His favorite quote, Book/App/Website recommendations.