CLEVELAND, Miss. -- Delta State University Athletics announced the hiring of Tyler Bennett as the new Coordinator of Media Relations for the department.
 
"The communications and sports information department is the primary connection between athletics and our fan base," said Athletic Director Mike Kinnison. "We welcome Tyler as our Coordinator and anticipate him bringing a professional and creative approach to our media relations, communication, and sports information. I have been impressed with his work, attention to detail, and production quality."

Bennett joins the #DSUFamily from the Marion School District, located in Marion, Ark, where he served as the district Communications Specialist for the last three years. 

"I'm excited to join an athletics program with a history as rich as Delta State's," Bennett said. "I know how proud the students, alumni, and Cleveland community are of their Statesmen, and I can't wait to help them cheer on these student-athletes."

While at Marion, Bennett was responsible for a variety of aspects to promote the school district, including digital and social media manager, lead writer and reporter for the school district, radio and live-stream play-by-play broadcaster, and a driving force in founding the award-winning Marion Patriot Activities Network (MPAN). 
 
MPAN has been recognized as one of the top high school broadcast networks in the country over the past several years. Under Bennett's oversight, MPAN has won five national awards, including Best Sports Network and Best School-Run Broadcast Team in 2021 and Play of the Year, Event of the Year, and back-to-back Best School-Run Broadcast Team in 2021 and 2022. 

Since February 2019, Bennett has served as the Public Address Announcer for the University of Memphis Tiger softball program. Additionally, he has experience with the Tiger baseball and women's basketball programs in the same capacity. 

Bennett began his radio career with the historic WHBQ ration in Memphis, Ten., serving as the station's DJ from 2016-2018. He has also served as the Public Address Announcer for the Mississippi RiverKings hockey team and provided radio play-by-play analysis for the University of Memphis broadcasting outlet, WUMR, covering Memphis Tiger football and men's basketball while hosting the morning sport show. 

A native of Marion, AR., Bennett earned his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree from the University of Memphis in 2019.