From The Archives — A Sponsorship Sent USA Deca Fortunes Soaring

A Productive Venture Remembered

John Bennett, not a track athlete or coach, but Executive Vice President, Marketing for Visa 1984–’96, passed away at 91 on July 12. Highly accomplished in the corporate world, Bennett played a role worth remembering in track & field.

From 1990 through 2000, VISA underwrote an innovative event-specific sponsorship program, the USA/VISA Decathlon Team. Sold on the initiative’s value to the credit card company’s brand and our sport by multis coaches Harry Marra and Fred Samara, Bennett functioned in Marra’s words as “the godfather of all USA decathletes” during a keenly successful decade for American 10-eventers.

Although the program ended after the Sydney Olympics, Marra subsequently guided Ashton Eaton to two deca World Records and a pair of Olympic golds. He calls that success “a tangent” of what the VISA program created. Ditto the two world titles and 2012 Olympic silver for Trey Hardee, who was coached by USA/VISA Team alum Mario Sategna.

Writes Marra, “VISA type programs should exist in EVERY T&F EVENT!!!”

Below you’ll find a T&FN feature on the program from our November 1996 issue. (photos, save for the John Bennett/Dan O’Brien black & white, are different from those in the original article)