TBS Athletic Hall Of Fame Committee Announces New Inductees

The Benjamin School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee announced six new inductees. The induction of the Class of 2020 will take place on Friday, October 2, 2020.

Coach Richard Cavanah has been coaching swimming at The Benjamin School for 37 years.  His first season with the Bucs was in the spring of 1977. During his time at TBS, Coach Cavanah has coached many swimmers to state championships, and he has seen many of his swimmers earn All-American honors. One of Coach Cavanah’s favorite coaching memories was being a part of Benjamin alumnus Ryan Berube 92’s journey to the 1996 Olympic Games. Coach Cavanah was in the crowd during Berube’s World Record swim in Atlanta that summer.  Prior to life at TBS, Coach Cavanah was an elite swimmer from Columbia, MO. He attended and swam at University of Missouri. Coach Cavanah started coaching immediately after graduating college. After a few years of coaching in Missouri, Coach Cavanah moved to Ft. Lauderdale and eventually to North Palm Beach to serve as the Head Swimming Coach at North Palm Beach Country Club. Cavanah and his wife, Sandy, have two daughters, Kristin and Molly. Both of his daughters are Benjamin alumni and each spent six years on the varsity swim team at TBS.

Coach David Parks has served the School in multiple capacities in his 33 years here at TBS.  Coach Parks first began his coaching career in 1988 as the Special Teams Coordinator for the Varsity Football Team, a position he held for 28 years before stepping down in 2016. In the springtime, Coach Parks could be found on the baseball field first as a Varsity assistant for seven years then two years as the Head Varsity Baseball Coach in 1996 and 1997. While assisting the varsity baseball team, Coach Parks also served as the Head JV Baseball Coach for five years where he posted a 56-4 record often referring to his team as the Benjamin Bombers. After the 1997 baseball season, Coach Parks stepped away from baseball for a few years before taking the helm for the Middle School Baseball program in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, the team was 15-0 and won the league championship.  While Coach Parks no longer coaches at the School, he remains an intricate part of the Athletic Department in many capacities such as driving teams to and from games, handling the athletic equipment in the middle school, and keeping the scoreboard for multiple sports. Of all the spectacular coaching moments Coach Parks has had at Benjamin, he is most proud to be a Buccaneer when he sees the “Benjamin B,” which he designed in 1992, out in the community. Prior to coming to The Benjamin School, David Dewey Parks Jr. served in the US Army as an Armed Forces Police Officer for three years. 

A 2003 graduate of The Benjamin School, Barrett Saunders played football and ran track for TBS. He found the most success on the track as one of the greatest track athletes to ever come through the School. During his time in orange and blue, Barrett set numerous school records. He was a state champion in the triple jump and the long jump, and he was selected as an All American. When he graduated from Benjamin, Barrett went on to run track at The University of Kansas. While at Kansas, Barrett was the captain of his team, earned All Big 12 first team honors, and he was again named an All American. Barrett was also a Big 12 champion and a Midwest Region Champion. His favorite college memory was becoming the first long jump champion in the school’s history in the Big 12 conference. Barrett’s hard work and determination at the track earned him a spot in the Olympic Trials. Currently, Barret is working as a personal trainer, and he is Head Coach for Benjamin’s boys track team.