John W. F. Bennett

John W. F. Bennett

John W.F. Bennett, 1897
Sport(s)	Football
Biographical details
Born	c. 1875 Chicago, Illinois
Died	August 30, 1943 New York, New York
Playing career
1896–1898	Michigan
Position(s)	Guard, end

John W. F. Bennett (c. 1875 – August 30, 1943) was an American civil engineer and football player. He played football for the University of Michigan from 1896 to 1898. As a civil engineer, he supervised the construction of important buildings in New York and London, including the Algonquin Hotel in New York and the Ritz and Waldorf Hotels in London.

Bennett was born in Chicago in approximately 1875. His father, John Wesley Bennett (1837–1920), was a lawyer in Chicago who had served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. In 1885, the family moved to Austin, Illinois, which was then a sparsely settled suburb of Chicago. Bennett played football at Austin High School.

After graduating from high school, Bennett enrolled at the University of Michigan. He played for the Michigan Wolverines football and track teams for three years. He played football at the guard position in 1896 and at end in 1897 and 1898. He was the captain of the 1898 team that won the school's first Western Conference championship with an undefeated and tie-free record of 10–0. At the time of his election as the Michigan team captain, the Detroit Free Press wrote: "Bennett is a Michigan player through and through, and his rise to his present position of prominence in football circles came by steady, hard work." He graduated from Michigan in 1899 with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering.