Land O' Lakes High Swamp to Get a New Name

It’s official: The Swamp will get a new name.

The Pasco County School Board voted unanimously at Tuesday night's meeting to recognize a local legend, longtime coach John Benedetto, by renaming the stadium in his honor.

The new name will be John Benedetto Stadium. 

The meeting room was packed with former players and others who came out to support Benedetto, and several of them addressed the board.

Former Land O’ Lakes High principal Max Ramos, who began his career along with the coach in 1971, called Benedetto a “model leader.”

Benedetto’s success is not tied to wins or losses, it’s the positive influence that he had on students, Ramos said.

“I am in full support of the stadium being named after Coach Benedetto,” former player and Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford said. “He’s impacted thousands of kids, not only as a coach but also as a teacher.”

Weatherford, one of nine children, joked that he spent more time at Benedetto’s house than his own, even giving voice to the family’s answering machine greeting at one time.

“I stand here as Drew because of Coach Benedetto,” he said, because it was the coach who started calling him Drew instead of Andrew.

Kenny Blankenship was part of the first team Benedetto coached in 1971. He said Benedetto was more than a coach, he was a mentor who gave players focus and leadership skills they carried with them off the ball field into the career field.

“He pushed us to be the best student athletes that we could be,” Blankenship said.

Benedetto spent 32 years as the Land O’ Lakes Gators coach and 34 years at the school. He compiled a 196-149 record before his contract was not renewed, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

A group of community members, including Rep. Will Weatherford, proposed the renaming of the stadium at a school board meeting in March, the Times reported.

Despite the large turnout Tuesday in support of the stadium’s new name, the agenda item was almost tabled until the board’s next meeting. Read more about .