University of Pennsylvania Athletics

2015, 2016

All-Ivy Players Coached: 48

Bob Benson enters his 11th season with the Quakers in 2025, serving as associate head coach and defensive coordinator.

Benson’s defenses helped Penn win Ivy League championships in two of his first four seasons on staff in University City. In 2016, his unit ranked No. 18 in FCS in Scoring Defense – allowing 21.3 points per game. In Ivy League play, his defense allowed just 16.7 points per game – ranked No. 2 in the Ancient Eight.

Benson has always instilled a ball-hawking mindset in his defense. In 2017, Penn's defense recovered 11 fumbles -- No. 20 in FCS football. Nick Miller recovered four of those fumbles, No. 1 among all FCS players, while Sam Philippi ranked No. 9 with three recoveries. In 2016, Mason Williams ranked No. 2 in FCS in interception per game (0.6) as he finished with six interceptions – tied for No. 3 among all FCS players. The Red and Blue intercepted 13 passes in 2016, No. 30 in FCS. Penn scored two defensive touchdowns in 2016 – both in a win over No. 22/24 Harvard – which were the most of any Ivy League team.

Penn began the 2024 season battling FBS-bound Delaware close on the road before picking up victories against Colgate, Bucknell, Brown, and Cornell. The Quakers’ defense found success again under Benson’s tutelage, ranked fourth in the Ivy League in points allowed per game (26.9), while finishing in the top half in red-zone defense (third at 77.3 percent) and rushing defense (fourth at 147.2 ypg). Four members of the defense—Shiloh Means (first team), Carter Janki (second), John Lista (second), and Jack Fairman (HM)—garnered All-Ivy recognition. While coaching the safeties, Benson mentored Means to another standout campaign, leading the team with three interceptions and a team-high 11 pass breakups, which ranked third among Ivy defenders.

The Quakers wrapped up a 6-4 overall record in 2023, going 3-4 in one of the most competitive Ivy campaigns in conference history, in which Penn had a shot to play for an Ivy championship up until the final whistle of the penultimate weekend of the year. The Red and Blue began the season with back-to-back road victories over Colgate (20-6) and Bucknell (37-21) and rounded out the unbeaten non-conference slate with a 42-39 overtime win over Georgetown at Franklin Field. Penn knocked off Columbia, 20-17, and took down Yale, the reigning Ancient Eight champs, for a second straight year, 27-17. The Quakers won on Homecoming by defeating visiting Cornell, 23-8, to hold onto the Trustees' Cup for the second year in a row.  Six defensive players were named All-Ivy under Benson's leadership with two–Joey Slackman and Shiloh Means–on the first team. Slackman finished with 12 tackles for loss and 50 total tackles and won the Asa S. Bushnell Cup for Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, the second player under Benson (Tyler Drake in 2015) to win the honor. He also took home All-America honors from the AFCA (second team) and Phil Steele (third team).

Penn again dominated on the defensive side of the ball in 2023, among the nation's leaders in multiple team statistical categories. The Quakers ranked 12th in rushing defense (102.5 ypg), 13th in total defense (304 ypg), 19th in sacks per game (2.60), 19th in passing efficiency defense (115.94) and 26th in scoring defense (21.7 ppg). Slackman finished the year ranked 27th in the nation for TFLs and was rated the third-best interior defensive lineman in college football, the best in FCS by Pro Football Focus (PFF).

In 2022, Penn completed a very successful season, going 8-2 overall with a 5-2 record in Ivy play. Recording the program's most victories since 2010, the Quakers ended the year with a second-place finish in the Ivy standings. Penn won its first six games, going 6-0 to start a season for the first time since 2003. Victories included a double-overtime, 23-17 thriller against Dartmouth on national television, a 34-14 home win over Columbia, a 20-13 homecoming victory against eventual Ivy champion Yale and a come-from-behind, 20-19 win at #22 Princeton to close out the year. Four members of the defense earned All-Ivy selections with senior defensive lineman Jake Heimlicher named a Third-team Associated Press All-American and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, awarded to the FCS National Defensive Player of the Year.

Under Benson's guidance, Penn's defense ranked in the top 15 in several FCS categories during the 2022 campaign - No. 2 in rush defense (89.2 ypg), No. 4 in sacks (3.4 per game), No. 4 in fourth down defense percentage (28.6 percent), No. 4 in first downs (176), No. 6 in red zone defense (69.7 percent), No. 6 in scoring defense (19.7 ppg), No. 12 in tackles for loss (7.5 per game) and No. 13 in total defense (322.8 ypg).

In 2021, Penn went 3-7 with non-conference victories at Bucknell and at home versus Lehigh. The Quakers defeated Bucknell, 20-0, and it marked Penn's first shutout since the 2009 team capped a perfect Ivy League season with a 34-0 win over Cornell. The Red and Blue scored an Ancient Eight win at home versus Brown thanks to defeating the Bears, 45-17. During the year, Garrett Morris was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on November 1. Seven Quakers brought home All-Ivy honors, highlighted by Prince Emili and Brian O'Neill bringing home first-team accolades. 

During the 2019 campaign Benson’s defense ranked 24th in that nation in sacks (2.70 per game) and he also saw two players rank in the top-40 in the FCS in tackles for loss per game.  

In 2018, Benson's defense ranked No. 13 in Scoring Defense (20.9) and First Downs Defense (186), No. 16 in the country in 4th Down Defense (.333), No. 17 in Red Zone Defense (.727) and No. 21 in Passing Yards Allowed (185.0). 

In his first season with the Red and Blue, Benson secured an Ivy League championship as the 2015 Quakers went 6-1 in the Ivy League. Along the way, Benson coached five All-Ivy selections -- led by Tyler Drake who put together one of the finest defensive seasons in program history. Drake led the Ivy League in sacks, tackles-for-loss, and forced fumbles en route to winning the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. His efforts earned third-team AP and STATS FCS All-American nods and garnered a selection as a finalist for STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year. 

Benson's defense was second in the Ivy League and No. 8 among FCS programs in turnover margin in 2015, picking off 14 passes and recovering 11 fumbles to help Penn finish +1.00. The Red and Blue led the Ivy League and were No. 13 nationally in sacks-per-game with 2.9.

Benson spent 2014 as the defensive coordinator at Albany, which posted a six-win turnaround from a 1-11 campaign prior to his arrival. Much of that improvement was due to Benson's defensive unit which vaulted from 102nd in the FCS before he took over to 42nd last season. The Great Danes were dead-last in defense in the CAA in 2013, but under Benson, Albany's defense ranked among the top half of the league in nearly every statistical category. 

Benson started his coaching career as a graduate student at Albany under legendary head coach Bob Ford’s tutelage in 1986-87. Since then, he has been on staff at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1988-89), Johns Hopkins (1990-93), and was the head football coach at Georgetown University from 1993 to 2005. There, he compiled a career record of 72-64, earning MAAC Coach of the Year honors twice. He led the Hoyas to six straight winning seasons (1994-99), including the team's first eight-win campaign since 1940 and a school record nine wins in 1998 and 1999. In back-to-back seasons (1995-96), Georgetown led the FCS in total defense. Benson won three MAAC titles and departed Georgetown with the second-most wins (72) in program history.

Benson served as defensive coordinator at Towson in 2006 and 2007, where the Tigers finished second in the CAA for scoring defense. He then spent six seasons (2008-13) as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at the Colorado School of Mines, where helped pilot the Orediggers to a 47-19 regular season record, including a bid to the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 2010.

From 1990-92, Benson was the defensive coordinator at Johns Hopkins University, and also served as the head coach of JHU's track & field team during his stint with the Blue Jays. 

Before his arrival at Johns Hopkins, Benson was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 1988-89, and also coached the lacrosse team.

Benson began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University at Albany in 1986, spending one year as a defensive backfield coach and one season coaching the defensive line.

Benson's collegiate career began at Marietta College, where he competed as a wide receiver on the football team before an injury ended his playing days. Benson proceeded to transfer to the University of Vermont, where he earned his bachelor's degree in History in 1986. Benson went on to earn his M.E. in History/Education from the University at Albany.

Benson and his wife, Julianne, have a daughter, Kaylyn.

Defensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach — Penn, 2015-present

Defensive Coordinator — Albany, 2014

Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator — Colorado School of Mines, 2008-13

Defensive Coordinator — Towson, 2006-07

Head Coach — Georgetown, 1993-2005

Defensive Coordinator/Head Track Coach — Johns Hopkins, 1990-93

Defensive coordinator/Head Lacrosse Coach — Worcester Polytechnic, 1988-89

Graduate Assistant — Albany, 1986-87
 

First Year at Penn: 2015

Family: Wife, Julianne; Daughter, Kaylyn

Education

1987 Masters — University at Albany

1986 B.A. — University at Vermont