Now in his 12th year leading the Westminster football program, Scott Benzel has produced a remarkable run of sustained success – both on and off the field – since becoming the head coach in January 2014.
Benzel owns a 77-34 overall record through 11 seasons in New Wilmington, good for a .694 winning percentage, and has posted a 66-25 record (.725, 91 games) in PAC matchups. Some of his best work has come late in the season with a 20-8 record in November games, including the postseason. Westminster has also thrived academically under Benzel’s watch, with 150 student-athletes qualifying for the PAC Academic Honor Roll, 25 named Academic All-District® and four earning Academic All-America® honors since 2014. In April eight players were honored by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) as members of the 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players who maintained a cumulative 3.2 grade-point average (GPA) or better throughout their college careers.
In 2024 Westminster finished with an 8-3 record, posting a 27-13 victory over Marietta in the Extra Points Bowl on Nov. 24 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The Extra Points Bowl was part of the inaugural Opendorse Bowl Series. It is the program’s fifth season winning eight or more games under Benzel. After the season Lamont Austin was named the PAC Newcomer of the Year, highlighting 12 players named All-PAC. A defensive back, Austin finished with 30 tackles (23 solo) to go along with three interceptions. Brice Butler, a safety, earned his third-straight First Team All-PAC selection, totaling 48 tackles (35 solo) and a pair of interceptions. He returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown in Westminster’s win at Allegheny on Sept. 21 and was honored as the PAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Scholar-Athlete of the Month for September. Butler had two punt returns go for touchdowns last season and returned five interceptions for touchdowns during his stellar career. He was also a D3football.com All-Region 2 selection for the second time (2022) last fall.
In 2023 Westminster posted a 6-4 record, going 4-1 at Memorial Field inside Harold Burry Stadium. It marked Benzel’s ninth-straight year finishing above .500. The Titans finished the year ranked 64th in Division III in both scoring defense (20.2 points/game) and total defense (316.0 yards/game). The Titans went 7-3 in 2022 and were one of the nation’s hottest teams at season’s end, closing with five consecutive wins by an average margin of over 22 points. The Titans operated one of the most effective defenses in 2022, leading Division III in opponent third down conversion percentage (.216) and team passing efficiency defense (78.01). Westminster also finished the season with five defensive scores, led by a pair of interception returns for touchdowns by Butler.
In 2021 Westminster finished the season 8-3 (8-1 PAC) and earned its second-straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) title. The Titans landed a program-high 19 players on the All-PAC teams. During the unprecedented 2020-21 season Benzel guided Westminster to its first PAC title in school history following a 27-20 win over Washington & Jefferson College in the PAC Championship game, capping an abbreviated 5-0 season.
In 2019 Westminster finished 8-3 and won the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s (ECAC) Clayton Chapman Bowl. Its 37.45 points per game average set a new school record for an 11-game schedule, while its 412 total points scored were the most in a season since 1994. The 2018 season was highlighted by a 27-20 victory over No. 7 Washington & Jefferson on October 20. In 2016 the Titans won their second-straight ECAC bowl game – a 33-6 win over Utica College – and finished 8-3 overall, posting back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1996-97. In 2015 Westminster went 9-2, securing the program’s most wins in a season since 1997. The Titans topped off the season with a 42-21 victory over St. John Fisher University in the ECAC’s James Lynah Bowl, their first postseason win since 1996. Westminster finished 4-6 in 2014. Three of its losses were by five or fewer points to go along with one overtime defeat. The Titans finished the season winning four of their last five games, including three-straight wins to end the season.
Benzel arrived at Westminster after serving as associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Saint Francis University, where he helped improve the Red Flash defense from 120th to 10th in total defense in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). He joined head coach Chris Villarrial’s staff in February 2012 after spending nine seasons, including seven as a recruiting coordinator, as an assistant coach at Robert Morris University. Benzel was elevated to co-defensive coordinator in January 2009 by head coach Joe Walton.
In his first two seasons as co-defensive coordinator, Robert Morris led the Northeast Conference (NEC) in total defense twice. In 2010 the Colonials allowed an average of 312.6 yards per game en route to a share of the NEC regular season championship and the league’s inaugural bid to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. The Robert Morris secondary finished with 18 interceptions in 2010, the program’s highest total since establishing a school record with 20 in 1999. At Robert Morris Benzel coached safety Robb Butler, who went on to play in the National Football League (NFL). He also has Division III experience, spending the 2004 season at Wittenberg University, where he served as defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator.
A native of Plum, Pa, Benzel was a two-year starter at Plum High School at both cornerback and wide receiver. He was included into Plum’s Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024. Benzel completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Mercyhurst College in 1997 and later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Robert Morris. He was a two-year starter at free safety for Mercyhurst and was named the Lakers’ defensive Most Valuable Player in 1996. He led Mercyhurst in interceptions and pass breakups in 1995 and 1996.
Benzel and his wife, Cyndi, have a daughter, Baylee, and a son, Everett.
