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By Dean Caparaz, University of California Assistant Director, Athletic Communications
Herb Benenson never expected this to be his career. But after a brief dalliance outside of sports information, he came back to the industry he loved.
Now in his 26th year in Berkeley, California, Benenson is the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications at Cal, where he’s worked with the likes of men’s basketball head coach Cuonzo Martin, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kid, Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers, U.S. Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin, former U.S. Olympic swimming head coach Teri McKeever, and a host of others.
He’s worked under several gurus – including Chris Dawson, Kevin Reneau and Bob Rose – and became the head of the then-Cal Athletic Media Relations Department in 2007.
Benenson at a Cal shootaround this year with All-Conference point guard Tyrone Wallace.
Raised in Dallas, he was a big sports fan who followed the Cowboys and played several sports. He matriculated at the University of Texas, where he majored in journalism and wrote for
The Daily Texan.
He got to know current Texas Women’s Athletics Director Chris Plonsky, the Longhorns’ women’s sports information director at the time, who eventually asked him to work in her department as a student assistant his senior year.
Benenson accepted and stayed busy that year, working with tennis and helping out with a variety of other events in women’s athletics as UT hosted the Final Four, NCAA volleyball regionals and the NCAA track & field championships. He also assisted with the Texas Relays and, with his fellow student assistant Ivan Meltzer, wrote for a newsletter called
Longhorns Illustrated, covering Texas football.
As his senior year came to a close, Benenson, whose journalism major had an emphasis in public relations, decided to pursue sports information.
After graduating from Texas, he went to Tennessee to work for Debby Jennings in the Lady Vols Women’s sports media relations department and to pursue an MBA in Knoxville.
Upon graduating from Tennessee, Benenson wanted to try working outside of athletics. His emphasis in his MBA was marketing, and he found a marketing job in Memphis with Belz Hotels, owner of the Peabody Memphis and several other luxury hotels around the United States. When one of the participating teams stayed at the Peabody, Benenson tried to stay connected to sports, attending local horse shows and the Liberty Bowl.
It quickly became apparent this wasn’t going to be his permanent career path. One warning sign came when the person who hired him left the company two weeks after he arrived.
“I realized this just really wasn’t for me,” Benenson said. “I missed being on a campus, missed the excitement, the energy, getting up for a game day, getting to interact with the students, and the coaches and the media.”
As he sought a return to athletics, he made a connection to Dawson through Plonsky and Jennings. Dawson had stepped down as Cal’s women’s SID to become an assistant athletic director at Cal. Soon Benenson was interviewing in Berkeley; he began his role as Cal’s women’s SID in January of 1990.
“Some people might’ve thought working in a separate women’s athletic department was not the place to nurture
Benenson with former Cal men's basketball coach Mike Montgomery and
with current Pac-12 Associate Commissioner, Television, Duane Lindberg.
and grow your career,” Dawson said. “But he brought energy and enthusiasm about women’s sports in coming to Berkeley. Coming from Tennessee obviously had an influence on that.”
Prior to the 1992-93 season, the men’s and women’s athletic departments merged, and Benenson became an associate director in Cal sports information. He worked with many of the sports at Cal and was the men’s basketball SID for several years. Along the way, he learned to navigate the life of a family man with that of a busy SID after he got married and, with wife, Heidi, had a daughter, Jenna.
“It is a challenge at times,” he said. “But when there are opportunities to get away from work, it is important to try to make it to as many softball games, soccer games, band concerts and play performances as you possibly can. When you’re home give your full attention to your family and kids. You have to find that balance.”
Benenson began working with the women’s swimming & diving team in 2013-14 when Franklin came to Cal. After briefly working with men’s hoops again this season, he is back working with McKeever, who has been impressed with his work with her powerhouse program.
“His follow through is really exceptional, and, it sounds stupid, but his communications skills with the coaches and with the student-athletes is exceptional as well,” she said. “Our student-athletes have enjoyed working with him, whether it’s a high-profile student-athlete or it’s a regular-student-athlete. They really feel like a connection and from his heart he’s really enjoying what he’s doing and that he’s really passionate about telling the stories of not just their athletic success but their life journeys.”
Now an Associate Commissioner at the Pac-12 Conference, located in San Francisco, Dawson has watched as Benenson grew from that bright-eyed California newcomer into the veteran he is today.
“Initially he was introverted and had a sense of humor that didn’t show itself,” she said. “As you gain more experience, you gain more confidence in your ability. Herb was always somebody who didn’t want to be out front taking the credit. He wanted to make sure the work got done, and he made relationships with coaches and players behind the scenes.
“He’s in a leadership role, and he’s matured into his role as director of communications,” noted Dawson. “He still has the same interpersonal skills in his quiet way. But he’s in a position now where he’s a more public figure, and I think he’s embraced that and done a good job with it.”
“I never expected this to be the career,” Benenson said. “I thought this was just the next step. But it’s such a great place – great place to live, great place to work. I’ve really enjoyed the time here, and next thing you know, it’s 26 years later, and I’m still here.”