Speedster hooked on outdoors
Fishing, snowmobiling or riding Jet Skis - if it's done outdoors, it's right up Michael Bennett's alley. And bet you didn't know this onetime world-class sprinter once tried another Olympic sport: diving.
By STEPHEN F. HOLDER, Times Staff Writer
Published November 18, 2007
Tell us about your outdoor adventures.
I love fishing. I caught my first fish when I was 3. My grandfather used to take me out there with those ol' long cane poles. Remember those? Mine was probably 15 feet long. Once I caught that first fish, I wanted to go every day since then.
You say Lake Okeechobee is your favorite spot. Why?
I love bass fishing. I'll sit here and watch bass fishing shows on TV all day long just to pick up any little tricks. I went down there with my uncle in my first year of high school, and, man, I went down there and caught an 8-, 10- and 11-pound large-mouth bass. I was like, "I don't believe this!" When I went back to Wisconsin and started catching 3-pounders again, that was like junk to me.
You're into more than fishing, though. Did your interests expand when you moved to Wisconsin for high school?
Oh, yeah. When I moved to Wisconsin, I got into snowmobiling, ice fishing, deer hunting, all that. When we got to Milwaukee, that was my first time seeing snow as we drove up in the U-Haul truck.
Was that a big change for a Southern boy from Alligator, Miss.?
Definitely. I had a friend in high school who introduced me to all this. He told me, "You know, we do this thing up here called snowmobiling." So, I said I'd try it. He told me to wear a big coat and bundle up. Of course, I was too cool. So, I went out in a Packers pullover, no gloves and some Nike wind pants. Man, I froze my (butt) off. But I didn't want to get off. I was hooked. I almost got frostbitten. Then we rode across this (frozen) lake, and of course, I didn't know it was a lake. My friend told me to be careful around the cracks. He said, "You don't want to fall in the water." I said, "What?!"
Am I correct in saying you're a big movie buff?
I love movies. The best one I've seen this year is Transformers. I saw that seven times. I watched it four times at the theatre and three times on DVD. I go to the movies every Friday. If I can get two movies in, even better. It just depends on what's playing at what time. And I take a notepad into the theatre with me and write down the names of the movies in the previews that I want to see.
You're religious about this.
You know who got me into this? Daunte Culpepper. When we were playing in Minnesota, we would play these movie trivia games at his house on family night. The winner would get the pot of cash or a free dinner or something. But he would win every time. You'd get up and read a line from a movie and he would know it right away. So, I said, "You know what? I've got to get with the program." Daunte even knew stuff from old Western movies. It was amazing.
You had a chance to pursue a career in track and field. Ever have second thoughts?
Well, I did have a chance to run in the Sydney Olympics (in 2000). I ran a 9.98 (second) 100 meters, but I was right at the point where I had to decide whether I was going to go with track or football. I couldn't focus on both. Football was my childhood dream. But my time was good enough to get me to the Olympic trials. Turns out that my time was within the top eight, so I could have gone to the Olympics if I would have gone after that. I feel like I might have missed out on a gold medal.
Did you tell me earlier that you were a platform diver in high school?
Yes, I was. I was a big fan of Greg Louganis. And I was a good tumbler, and I was a lifeguard when I was in high school. So, I just tried it, and I loved it. I would do the high dive. It was cool. But I stopped doing it when I got older because I thought those Speedos were too girly.
What's it like to get traded when you don't see it coming?
Well, if they would tell you maybe a week or two beforehand, it would be fine. But I'm sitting on my couch watching Monday Night Football without a thought in the world when they called. I felt I was secure. It was like a slap in the face. That was the first time I've cried as a grown man besides the birth of my kids. Man, I was hearing (rumors) before, and I brought it to them, and they told me not to sweat it. And what made it so hard was, I was sitting there asking them if I could come to Tampa the following week. They were like, "No, we have you booked on a plane tomorrow morning at 6 a.m." This was 7 o'clock at night. That was the hardest conversation I've ever had.
Fast facts
Michael Bennett
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 5-9, 207 pounds
Age: 28
Hometown: Alligator, Miss.
College: Wisconsin; rushed for 1,681 yards as a junior in 2000, the third-highest total in school history; won the Big 10 100- and 200-meter outdoor championship.
Pro: A first-round pick of Minnesota in 2001; selected for the Pro Bowl in 2002 after rushing for 1,296 yards; traded to the Chiefs in 2006; traded to Tampa Bay on Oct. 16.