Fayetteville Observer
Anthony Bennett said he saw more numbers with 910 area codes calling his phone Wednesday than at any point since leaving Fayetteville for Winston-Salem State five years ago.
The news that the Laurinburg native and Fayetteville State alum had been named the Broncos’ new athletic director had been making the rounds.
There were more than a few people from back home that wanted to congratulate him.
“Family, friends, mentors, I’ve heard from all of them,” Bennett said. “. I know a lot of people there are supportive of the athletic department and supportive of me. I look forward to working with everybody.”
The school’s Board of Trustees met Wednesday afternoon and unanimously voted to make the move official. Bennett, 42, will start Sept. 1, becoming the school’s seventh athletic director since 1986. The school offered him an at-will contract that will pay him $113,000 per year.
“It makes us feel real comfortable that we have someone who’s basically coming home,” said Fayetteville State chancellor James Anderson. “In fact, when I talked to him about his candidacy, that’s how he framed it.”
Bennett replaces Ed McLean, who announced his retirement in March and left the post Aug. 1.
While he’s served as the associate athletic director for compliance at Winston-Salem State since 2010, Bennett’s roots run deep at Fayetteville State. And they were made strong early.
Scholar athlete
Bennett came to Fayetteville State in 1991 as a defensive back on the football team and a member of the Chancellor’s Scholarship Program. Before the start of his sophomore year, his mother Bettie Bennett died, leaving him emotionally devastated. He said he lost interest in football, eventually leaving the team, and considered leaving school altogether. read more
