Findlay native John Benington captained the University of San Francisco basketball team, which won the NIT championship in 1949. Benington, a 1940 Findlay High graduate, began his coaching career in 1950, serving six years as a Michigan State University assistant, first under his USF coach Pete Newell and then under Fordy Anderson, the man he eventually succeeded in 1965.

He went on to become head coach in 1956 at Drake University where his teams were 21-18 before he coached St. Louis to a 118-71 record from 1958-1965 and had the team in the NIT five times. Then as Michigan State coach, Benington compiled a 56-38 record with the 1966 Spartans sharing the Big Ten championship. Overall, he had a 195-137 record in 13 years of collegiate coaching. In 1967, Benington coached the USA team to the World University Games championship in Tokyo.

With his old coach, Pete Newell, Benington co-authored a definitive book on basketball . . . ‘Basketball Methods’ . . . which was used as a textbook in colleges throughout the country.