Bruce Bennett played for the Gators from 1962-65 and earned first-team All-American honors at safety his senior season. (Photo: University Athletic Association archives)
Carter's Corner: Remembering Former Gators All-American Defensive Back Bruce Bennett
Sunday, January 17, 2021 | Football, Scott Carter
Share:
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – He first achieved prominence as a prep All-American quarterback at Valdosta (Ga.) High.
Bruce Bennett was just getting started on a lifelong football pilgrimage that brought him to the University of Florida in 1962.
While with the Gators, Bennett faced a predicament after a season on the freshman team. His prospects of playing quarterback on varsity were limited with Tommy Shannon and Kay Stephenson at the position entering the 1963 season. Bruce Bennett, second from right, is awarded an All-American certificate in a ceremony in Tampa in 1965. Former Gators coach Ray Graves is second from left. (Photo: Tampa Tribune files)
Coach Ray Graves offered Bennett a proposition according to reports during Bennett's sophomore season.
"Bruce, the way it stands now you realize you are not going to get much chance to play,'' Graves told him. "I think you can help us out more on defense than offense. How do you feel about that?"
Bennett didn't need much time to think it over.
"Coach, I just want a chance to play football,'' he said.
Over the next three seasons, Bennett starred at safety and by the time he finished at Florida, he owned the school record with 13 career interceptions. Bennett held the record until Will White came along and broke it in the early 1990s. More than 50 years after playing his final game for the Gators, Bennett remains tied for fourth with Ahmad Black for the most interceptions in the program's history.
Bennett's most famous game with the Gators came during the 1963 season when he intercepted Georgia quarterback Larry Rakestraw three times in Florida's 21-14 win in Jacksonville. Bennett picked off Rakestraw's first pass of the game and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. With less than two minutes left, he intercepted Rakestraw's final pass to seal the victory.
Bruce Bennett starred in the Canadian Football League from 1966-72. (Photo: Courtesy of Saskatchewan Roughriders)
Bennett, at 5-foot-10 and around 170 pounds, developed a reputation as a tough player and always around the ball. He earned first-team All-American honors as a senior in 1965. He went undrafted and instead of pursuing an invitation to camp with the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals, Bennett opted for a career in the Canadian Football League.
He signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and in his first season, the team won its first Grey Cup. As he did with the Gators, Bennett became a standout safety with Saskatchewan, earning All-CFL honors six times in a career that lasted from 1966-72.
He is third on the Roughriders' all-time list in interceptions (35) and interception-return yards (606). He had a career-high eight interceptions in 1969 and 1971. On Aug. 27, 1972, against the visiting Calgary Stampeders, Bennett recorded the longest interception return in Roughriders history (112 yards).
Once Bennett finished playing and returned to the U.S., he became a high school coach in his native Georgia and later returned to Florida where he served on Gene McDowell's staff at UCF for the better part of a decade. He also coached high school football in Florida and eventually retired to Ocala.
Bennett's career earned him a spot in the UF Athletics Hall of Fame, the Valdosta High Hall of Fame and the Roughriders Plaza of Honor.
Besides his accomplishments on the field, Bennett earned a footnote in school lore when he was one of the first people to taste Gatorade as the sports drink was being developed at the University of Florida in the mid-1960s.
And this: Bennett once shook hands with Queen Elizabeth II. On a visit to Canada, the queen attended a Roughriders game and made the coin toss. As team co-captain, Bennett was on the field and knew not to touch the queen according to protocol. However, she offered a handshake and he obliged.
Lamar Bruce Bennett, born Dec. 13, 1943, lived a full life. He died at age 77 on Jan. 12 from pneumonia and COVID-19 complications.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Countryside Funeral Home in Anthony, Fla., is in charge of arrangements. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions in Bennett's memory be made to Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville via its online donation information.
Game Time presented by Tower Hill Insurance 11-14-25Game Time presented by Tower Hill Insurance 11-14-25
Saturday, November 15
Up Next presented by UF Health (November 14, 2025)Up Next presented by UF Health (November 14, 2025)
Friday, November 14
Up Next presented by UF Health 11-14-25Up Next presented by UF Health 11-14-25
Friday, November 14
Florida Football | Interim Head Coach Billy Gonzales Media Availability | Ole MissFlorida Football | Interim Head Coach Billy Gonzales Media Availability | Ole Miss
