*Bill Benner, Legendary Indiana sportswriter

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jack Kemblin here with my good friend Matt Sloan a
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Speaker 1 (00:27):
Top Ofcy Matt. In the gang here on West Grand River, Okamiz.
They're making friends. Welcome back. It is a drive with
Jack the Spotlight Radio Network. Jack Eblin here with my
producer Boston Rob. Rob. Someone asked me today if I'm

(00:51):
going I hadn't seen for a long time. Says how
you doing? And I said, uh, okay, I'm I'm a
lot better than j Anthon Smith. And one reason is
I don't have to coach against Kurt Signetty Saturday. But
Michigan State is going to be in Bloomington as a
twenty seven and a half point underdog, a number I

(01:13):
thought I would never see I want to welcome in
Bill Benner. We know him from decades of great work
at the Indianapolis Star and then very important stuff with
the Indiana Sports Commission. Now you see him at NCAA
tournament games and he's there as a press moderator conducting

(01:35):
the press conferences after the game. But he's also an
IU football season ticket holder. Bill that must be more
fun than anyone ever imagined it could be in Bloomington.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
Well imagined is the optetctive word, because nobody. I was
telling somebody the other day, it was that long ago
that my wife and I sat at fans and Memorial
Stadium and oncet IU lose to a very mediocre Rutgers team.

(02:12):
And I remember getting in the car and getting on
then Indiana thirty seven, now I sixty nine to come
back to Indianapolis and telling Sherry, I said, let's just
turn off the radio. We're not going to listen to
Dog Fisher on the post game, and we're not going
to talk until we get at least two I four
sixty five back in Indianapolis. And so that wasn't that

(02:36):
long ago. And then we had the brief the very
the brief instance of Tom Allen and the COVID season.
You know, it would figure that Indiana would have success
in the COVID season when nobody could be there. And
then Tom Allen goes away and here comes the Segnetic guy,

(03:00):
and here we are nineteen games, he's seventeen and two.
Indiana's ranked number one in the USA Today Poll, number
three in the AP pole and Memorial Stadium was sold
out for the rest of the year as the Spartan
to come into town. And no no one could ever
have imagined that maybe k maybe Kurt Sty but nobody else.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Yeah, So Bill, I was talking to Fisher yesterday and
he's had ten Indiana football coaches. I have had thirteen
Michigan state football coaches going on fourteen here very soon.
What has Signetti done that no one else could do?

(03:49):
And there were some good coaches on that Leslie Courso,
I think it was a pretty good football coach, nearly
succeed Duffie already here. The utmost respect for Bill Mallory
Terry happen. There's some guys here who knew, you know,
what a football looked like, and they haven't come colose
to what we're seeing now, how did this happen?

Speaker 3 (04:11):
Well, I think part of it is the environment, the
fact that he was able to when he came from
James Madison, he was able to bring I think was
thirteen or fourteen players and six or seven assistant coaches
and so. And I think they arrived, especially the players.
I think they arrived with a similar chip on their

(04:33):
shoulder a bit disrespected that order or disrespected, underrated whatever.
And so I think that system and that attitude came
with them in this in this new environment. He struck

(04:54):
at Ritch last year when he got Curtis Rourke to
be the quarterback, transferring in from all you he hit
the nail. He did it again this year with Fernando
Mendoza from California. Uh. He is he has around that
j m U nucleus. Uh. They have done done very

(05:15):
well in the portal, you know Ellie's. They got a
kid the offensive linement starting offensive linement from Notre Dame
to come to to come to Indiana. So it's a mindset,
it's a development of talent, it's a system, a proven
system that worked in his previous stops. Uh. And so

(05:38):
I think the combination of all of that, Uh, you
know you talked about Terry Hefner. Terry Heffner's great quote
was if you think you can or you think you can't,
you're right. Well Kurt Signetti thinks you can and and
that IU, and that's that's a that's a mindset that

(05:59):
probably is for most of these one hundred and twenty
years of football.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
So you remember when he was introduced and Scott center
and he took the mic at halftime very briefly before
he dropped it, and Uh screamed, Uh, I don't know.
I used to losing. Uh, and I'll plan to do
it here. By the way, produce sucks and soda Michigan

(06:31):
and Ohio State. How much did that mean to the
mindset Indiana fans?

Speaker 3 (06:39):
Well, I think, I think, I think you know, the
new sheriff is in town. He's coming with U bistols loaded.
You know. It's funny, Jack, I was the they had
the big ten media day at Lucas Oil Stadium prior
to the last season. Uh, and I was sick that

(06:59):
he's host, and so I took him around to the
various I probably probably brought him to you, but I
took him around to the various. So I to the
various media outlets, and so I spent eight hours with
the guy, and I told him my history was, you know,
in sports journalism with the Star, and that I've been
around IU football for four years and that we had

(07:23):
subsequently become season ticket holders because I had this horrible
thing that I somehow guy hooked into AU football. Anyway,
I came home that night for sure share my wife
Shirt said, so how was he? I said, he was
the most brash, uh guy I've ever run across. Uh.

(07:47):
And if he doesn't win, they're going to destroy him.
But if he does win, uh, uh, he's going to
uplift the entire entire place. And and he has again
seventeen and two, he's packed it up to uh to
this point now. And I say to this point because

(08:10):
so many of so many of us who have followed
all you football, we're still we're still shaking our heads
and our heads, you know, it's still hard to grasp
what has taken place. And so Jack, believe me when
I say this, I'm not looking any further ahead than

(08:31):
opening kickoffs against against Party this Saturday.

Speaker 1 (08:39):
Well, I think you're gonna have a good time Saturday.
So what would have happened. I asked on this question yesterday.
I'm curious to get your response. What would happen if
Bob Knight and Kurt Signetti got into a real argument,
not a fiscal boy, something very contentious. Who would win?

Speaker 3 (09:03):
Oh, that's that's a good one.

Speaker 4 (09:05):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (09:06):
That stand is a really really good one, night.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
Jack, That's it?

Speaker 3 (09:17):
Uh, I got I gotta think about that. I think
Signetti has a physical pugnations. Am I saying it right?
A physical a physical pennacity to him that in Night

(09:39):
Night was more hellbent on psychological warfare. Uh. And so
I think it's I think it would have come down
to the physical versus the mental? Perhaps? How about that?
And what did this say? Uh?

Speaker 1 (09:58):
He said that, you know, I may never I don't know.
Eventually they would come to some sort of some sort
of agreement on some small factors. And you know, it's
on the physical thing. Night was such an imposing figure,
much bigger than than a lot of people would realize.
But he was that was the case, and it might

(10:18):
be different, But I wouldn't think that Signetty would ever
back down from anyone. I'm also curious, being in Indiana
every time the Hoosiers do this, what does it do
to Boilermakers?

Speaker 3 (10:34):
Uh, that's a good question, mate. But what the Boilermakers
right now will say, Well, what about basketball? That's what
that's what they were They would say, yeah, that's what
they would say currently.

Speaker 1 (10:46):
But we're talking about yeah.

Speaker 3 (10:49):
Yeah, this football thing. So uh. I think the Boilermakers
are hoping that they have struck similar goal with Barry
Odom and that they will see the result. But you know, again,
Signetti did this instantly, and obviously Perdue is not in

(11:13):
the instant turnaround category for what we always been so far.
So you know, there's always a bit of envy. Yeah,
right now, Purdue pants would say, wait till basketball. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (11:29):
Yeah. So let's say again we're going from into the
land of the impossible. Let's say Indiana wins the national
championship and sixty three to ten over Illinois and a
double digit win at Austin Stadium suggests that, you know,
anything could happen. Let's say Indiana wins the College football

(11:51):
Playoff and then Purdue, which we know has had so
many great basketball teams and has never won it, and
this is their year they win the national championship in basketball?
Could the state of Indiana function with this, and which
fan base would smile the widest.

Speaker 3 (12:13):
Well, I would think, okay, I think the Indiana fan
base would smile the whitest because it's so unexpected. There's
this history, this history of being you know, Indiana football.
Whereas Purdue, you know, going back to the going way
back to the days of French House le Rose, They've

(12:39):
had they've had a certain modicum of national success so
that they haven't won the national championship. Uh And Matt Painter,
Matt Painter. Indiana people even like Matt Painter, at least
this guy does, because he's a Hoosier through and through.
He's a hell of a good coach. He comports himself

(13:00):
at such a high level that I think Indiana people
admire Matt Painter. They hold me with great respect. But
the unexpectedness of Indiana's rise the football problemence would be
it would be one of the great sports stories.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
Of all the time.

Speaker 3 (13:19):
Oh yeah, no question, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (13:21):
No questions. It's almost impossible to dislike Matt Painter. I
think he's you know, Michigan State fans like Matt Painter.
Tom as a recruited Matt Painter. I mean he's I
have so much respect for him. And you know the
thing that I always point to, Bill, and you've done
enough of these press copaches. I don't think you did

(13:43):
this one. You weren't in Columbus when Purdue lost right
to the sixteen seed. No, okay, So after this game,
and it's only the second time it had ever happened, right,
So he comes into the press conference up there and
a lot of people are like, you know, if this

(14:05):
had been an asshole, they would have they would have
read of the riot Act. But Painter, you know, they're like,
oh god, you know, we're as uncomfortable as he is.
And he sat up there and he took every question,
and then they were trying to get him off the podium.
They were like, okay, well you know we're done, Coach,
you go. He said no, No, said anybody have anything else?

(14:27):
Went around the room. I want to make sure everyone
had asked every question and could not have conducted himself
with more class or decorum.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
Well, you mentioned my the intro. You mentioned my role
with the press conference moderator, and in that role, I
have been up on the daias with Matt on most
boy occasions, and I have never ever seen him not

(14:59):
give the question a well thought out composed answer, Nor
have I ever seen him lose his cool Pounty's fist,
you know, throw away the score sheet and wrap it
up and wad it up and throw it under the table.
I've never seen a hint of that from Matt Banner.

(15:23):
He used to a class in m Chorum and I
can't think of a two better terms to describe him.
And Andy's a hell of a basketball coach.

Speaker 1 (15:34):
Yeah, just throw that in. Yeah. Uh, talk about the
media for a second, and you hear about Bob Uker
in Milwaukee and how you know they're trying to win
one for you reading a message whether it was you know,
legitimate or contrived from him to the team, and you

(15:56):
know this has become kind of a Uker tour here
for the Milwaukee Brewers. What do you think Bob Hamil
would be thinking right now?

Speaker 3 (16:09):
Oh, my gosh, that's a that's an emotional question. Bob
would be Uh, you know what, Bob would be cranking
out five stories today. We would be hitting every He'd
be he'd be hitting every angle. He would be taking

(16:32):
full advantage of his proximity within the program and his
relationship with with the within the program, and he'd be
he'd be beating all of the rest of us.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah, but Walks, I don't.

Speaker 3 (16:56):
Know what you know, probably not because seconds look in
the game film in the Yeah, he's he's sitting in
that recliner of his looking a.

Speaker 1 (17:05):
Game film right right. For those of you who don't
know the name Bob Hamill, he was the editor. And
I don't know anyone ever cranked out more copy uh
than than Pops did for the Bloomington Harold I guess
it was Harold telephone when he started, right and and uh,

(17:28):
you know, for for more than a half century. And
I also, I want to give you a chance to
weigh in on our mutual friend Michael Presty and I
had a chance to talk to him last night and
dealing with some real tough stuff now with the cancer
and after losing his wife. And now you know he's uh,

(17:53):
he thinks about more than sports, I'll tell you that,
and some of the best commentary that you you would
ever read. But I told him, you know, you're way
too important to leave us.

Speaker 3 (18:04):
Now that's I couldn't I could not agree more. Mike
is Mike is one of the most versatile journalists that
I've ever been around. He's uh has the ability to
capture the moment, whether it's an Olympic gold medal basketball

(18:27):
game or a high school sectional in Richmond, Indiana. Uh
he he has he Mike has the ability to again,
no matter the level of the sport, no matter the sport. Uh,
He's got the incredible Oh and he does it.

Speaker 5 (18:48):
He can.

Speaker 3 (18:48):
He turns out these paroles on on deadline, I mean instantly.

Speaker 1 (18:53):
The fastest two finger typist I've ever seen.

Speaker 3 (18:57):
No questions, no questions. Uh. So my prinyers are obviously
with Mike. We gather about once every couple of months.
There was a well known sports writer for the Indianapolis
News named Ray Compton who is undergoing some difficulties physically
and is confined to an assisted living facility. So Jim

(19:20):
russ Old, former Indianapolis News sports writer and the press
box announcer at ross A Stadium at Purdue Michae Lapresty
tom Raeven a former Indianapolis News and Star sportswriter, and
we get together every couple of months with Ray Compton.
The last time we gathered, we had no idea mice. Yes,

(19:44):
and I've exchange. I send him a couple of messages,
but I would again my thoughts are with him. I
hate that cliche, but they all.

Speaker 1 (19:55):
Yeah, yeah, Well a lot of our listeners have read
his stuff for years and you may not even know it,
but for a Gannett News Service and USA Today and
now for NCAA dot com, you know just the most
respect for him, and you know, pulling for him as
hard as as you and I can. I'm sure, Bill,

(20:16):
thanks so much for your time. Really appreciate it, and
I will talk to you again before Indiana wins the
national championship.

Speaker 3 (20:24):
Now, now, Jack, well you will you be bum heard.

Speaker 1 (20:28):
You know I was going to go. I actually had
a credential and some things had come up here and
so I am not going to be there. I was
planning to be there. There's a chance I will be
at a big ten championship game in Indianapolis. I've done
that before when Michigan State or Michigan hasn't been there.

(20:49):
So I would love to see an Indiana Ohio state
championship game, and maybe maybe we will see that. But nonetheless,
I think you've got a couple of months here of
big moments ahead and I'm not talking about basketball.

Speaker 3 (21:09):
Well again, I'm not looking any further ahead than the
three thirty kitch off, and we'll see how transporters. You
know they got usal eyes. Next week you say eyes
playing better, and then we'll take it from there down
the road. Thank you, Hey and always Jack, thank you.
I value our friendship relationship going way way back.

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Speaker 1 (22:41):
Jack Kevlin here with my good friend Matt Sloan a
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