USADSF Board member, Kevin Smith, the chair of the USADSF Hall of Fame Committee is pleased to announce one of the five 2022 Hall of Fame inductees.
Long-time track and field coach, the late Nancy Benton, has been inducted into the USADSF Hall of Fame as a leader.ng her coaching career in the fall of 1982, Benton would go on to become an internationally recognized coach in girls’ and women’s cross country and track and field. Throughout her career, Benton coached the USA Women’s Track and Field teams at four editions of the Deaflympics, including 1989 (Christchurch), 1993 (Sofia), 1997 (Copenhagen), and 2001 (Rome), as well as the 1999 and 2000 Pan American Games held in Cuba and Mexico, respectively.
In addition to serving as coach, Benton was also a dedicated educator. The Frederick County Chamber of Commerce selected Benton as the county’s Career and Technology Education Teacher of the Year in 1994. Maryland School for the Deaf Athletic Director, Andy Bonheyo remarked, “Nancy was a well respected teacher and coach among her colleagues, students, and athletes.” 1985 Deaflympian Tiffany Williams added, “Nancy was always the first person on the track, getting it prepared for her team. She was always available to talk to anyone who needed to talk or be comforted.” With this level of support, many of Benton’s proteges would go on to become “accomplished athletes and leaders.”
Benton retired from coaching in July 2003, shortly before her life was taken by cancer. In 2010, the Maryland School for the Deaf dedicated its track as the Nancy L. Benton Track.