Naval Academy under Rick Forzano, but left on March 13, 1970, to become running backs coach with the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals.
The overall improvement of the team became evident the following season, when the Falcons defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card game, then put up a strong fight against the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys.
However, the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season saw Bennett's team finish 5–4, reaching the postseason in the expanded playoffs, losing the first-round game to the Minnesota Vikings.
For the next two years, Bennett sold recreational vehicles before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired him on January 23, 1985, replacing the retiring John McKay.
Bennett then returned to Atlanta, where he purchased a car dealership and was named chairman of the selection committee for the Peach Bowl.
In 1991, Bennett sold the dealership and was hired as director of development for the Greater Atlanta Christian School, where his two sons had attended.