Lewis Vincent Benfatti (born March 9, 1971) is an American former professional football player. The 6' 4", 278 lb., defensive tackle was the third round pick (#94 overall) of the New York Jets in the 1994 NFL draft. He played three seasons (1994âÂÂ1996) with the Jets. Benfatti was named All-American and a Lombardi Award finalist while at Penn State University. A team captain for the Nittany Lions, he played in the 1994 East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl games.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in speech communication from Penn State in 1993. Benfatti was an All-State football player and heavyweight wrestler at Morris Knolls High School in Denville Township, New Jersey.
Benfatti is the principal of Hopatcong Middle School, in Hopatcong, New Jersey.