Lawrence Veronica (Coach)
Tenure at Bennett:
December 1970 through June 1996
Sports coached:
Football: Assistant coach from 1971 – 1990
Head coach in 1985, 1991 – 1996
Basketball: 1971 – 1996
Boys Track: 1971 – 1985
Girls Track: 1979 – 1982
Tennis: 1986 – 1996
Unofficial sports include JV basketball, indoor track.
Career Highlights:
Football :
- Harvard Cup co- champions in 1985 (1st year).
- Team went undefeated with the top defensive record in all of Section VI (20 points allowed in 9 games).
- Coached two Lions Club all-Star game MVP’s.
Basketball : - Teams won 3 Yale Cups, 1983, 1987, and 1995.
- Over 300 career wins at varsity level. About 100 JV wins, concurrent.
- Won 8 Section VI titles in 25 seasons.
- Appeared in 3 state championships at Glens Falls, NY.
- Won two state public school championships – 1982, 1983.
- Won one overall Federation championship, 1983.
- Invited to McDonalds All-America Classic game in Washington, DC, 1982.
- Coached WNY career scoring leader Curtis Aiken – 2,162 points.
- Coached WNY single game scoring leader, Trevor Ruffin, 76 points.
Girls Track: - In four seasons, won 30, lost 1, tied 1.
- Won three championships in four seasons.
Boys Track : - Career record – won 168, lost 4.
- Includes 13 championships in 15 years, 12 of which were consecutive (the ‘streak” later reached 17 years and 199 consecutive wins).
- Teams achieved two New York State records, several WNY records and numerous Scalp & Blade city records.
- Was invited to “Golden West” national championship meet with sprinter Lamar Smith, in Sacramento, CA.
Co-ed Tennis: - There were no outright city championships, but teams maintained a winning record over the years.
- Coached the only player ever to win a medal (silver) in New York State intersectional competition, All-American Ross Nwachukwu.
Awards
Coach of the Year, Track – 1981, 1982, and 1983.
Basketball – 1983 and 1987.
Bennett earned #1 ranking in Western New York in Basketball (1982, 1983, and 1987) and in Track (1981 and 1982)