 Born on March 31, 1913, in Nashville, Tennessee, Bennett moved to Akron, Ohio, with his family when he was five years old.He played for the basketball team at East High School (now East Community Learning Center), lettering in three seasons and making it to the finals of the state championships.He also played football there on the team that pinned the last defeat on the Massillon Washington High School team coached by Paul Brown that went undefeated for 35 consecutive games over seasons.