'I am enjoying being back': Former Salpointe Catholic coach Dennis Bene joins Sahuaro staff

Dennis Bene is back. Sort of.

The longtime Salpointe Catholic head coach will return to the sidelines as a defensive line coach on first-year head coach Al Alexander's staff at Sahuaro. Bene joining the Cougars' coaching staff was first reported by AllSportsTucson.com.

Bene retired from his post at Salpointe Catholic at the conclusion of the 2019 season after leading his alma mater for 19 seasons. Bene went 184-44 (.807) overall, won 14 regional championships and coached the Lancers to a state championship in 2013; that team, which went 14-0 that season, is considered arguably the best team in Tucson high school football history. Bene, who was succeeded by current Lancers head coach Eric Rogers, is the winningest head coach in Salpointe Catholic history.

"Taking a few years off has been great," Bene told the Star in a text message Wednesday morning. "Now I am enjoying being around the game again. I always loved watching film and practices. Working with Al is very natural. He was key to our great success at Salpointe, and now, as he has worked so hard to become a head coach. Supporting him is really important personally for me. The kids at Sahuaro have been great and I am enjoying being back."

Salpointe Catholic star quarterback Treyson Bourguet, who's now a freshman at Western Michigan, told the Star in 2019 that “Coach Bene had a big impact on me, not just in football but outside of football.”

Bourguet was among the plethora of high-profile players under Bene's tutelage for 19 seasons, along with ex-Wildcat Cam Denson — now Sahuaro's current defensive backs coach — and Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom, among others. The most productive and highest-recruited star at Salpointe Catholic during the Bene era was current Texas Longhorns running back and Heisman Trophy hopeful Bijan Robinson, who set the big-school record with 7,036 yards and 114 touchdowns; coincidentally, Robinson set the record in a regular season game at Sahuaro during his final season.

“He was the reason why I went to Salpointe," Robinson told ESPN Tucson and the Star in 2019. "I wasn’t sure where I was gonna go to high school. Just him as a person and how he represents himself. … When you get to talk to him, you know he’s a real dude.

"He’ll help you through life, through football, through whatever you need. During recruiting, I wanted to see how college coaches were like him. How he is as a person and as a coach, he’ll be hard on you sometimes, but it’s tough love. And he’ll make sure to give you a hug before you leave the field. I can call him as another father to me, because of what he’s taught me over the years. He’s a big part of Salpointe and my life.”

Sahuaro opens the 2022 season Friday night at Chandler Seton Catholic.