 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 14, 1882 Sutton, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | July 24, 1928 (aged 46) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1900–1904 | Nebraska |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1905 | SD State Normal |
| 1906–1907 | Washington State |
| 1908–1909 | Haskell |
| 1910–1911 | Saint Louis |
| 1912–1914 | Washington State |
| 1915 | Kansas State |
| 1916–1920 | Tennessee |
| Basketball | |
| 1907–1908 | Washington State |
| 1916–1917 | Tennessee |
| 1919–1921 | Tennessee |
| Baseball | |
| 1907–1908 | Washington State |
| 1913–1915 | Washington State |
| 1917, 1920 | Tennessee |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 67–32–7 (football) 41–18 (basketball) 85–33–1 (baseball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 1 SIAA (1916) | |
| Awards | |
| Third-team All-American (1904) | |
John Reinhold "Chief" Bender (May 14, 1882 – July 24, 1928) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Black Hills State University (1905), Washington State University (1906–1907, 1912–1914), Haskell Indian Nations University (1908–1909), St. Louis University (1910–1911), Kansas State University (1915), and the University of Tennessee (1916–1920), compiling a career record of 67–32–7. He is one of the few college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school. Bender was also the head basketball coach at Washington State (1907–1908) and Tennessee (1916–1917, 1919–1921), and the head baseball coach at Washington State (1907–1908, 1913–1915) and Tennessee (1917, 1920).