[1] This combination made him notable as arguably the most successful of the Australian sportsmen linked to professional American football in history.
[4] As a consequence of his devastating late-1986 form, which included eleven goals in the last round against Claremont as well as his second semi effort,[5] Bennett was recruited to be a member of the West Coast Eagles' inaugural squad in 1987.
[6][8] During the spring of 1995, the Chargers sent him to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, where he led the league in net punting average and earned all-league honours.
[1] Bennett's initial 1995 contract with the Chargers was, while the NFL rookie minimum of $119,000 plus a $30,000 Pro Bowl bonus, much more than the salaries of Australian rules players.
As a former Aussie rules player, and considerably larger than most specialist kickers in American football (6 feet 5 inches or 1.96 metres and 235 pounds or 106.6 kilograms), he did not shy away from physical contact on special teams.
This willingness to hit, rare among kickers, was never more evident than when he knocked an opposing punt returner out cold in his rookie season.
In 2004, after 144 games for the Chargers, he signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent one season until being injured in pre-season and then cut in September 2005.
However, he was recalled by the team in December 2005, after starting punter Chris Kluwe (who had replaced him on the Vikings squad) was injured; Bennett was signed to a temporary contract.
[13] Their other son, William, died in August 2020 at the age from 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy; Bennett is deeply involved with charities associated with that disease.