Bennie Swain played men's basketball at Texas Southern University for legendary Tiger Coach Ed Adams. Swain held virtually every offensive record in TSU history before the arrival of Harry "Machine Gun" Kelly. He dominated the Southwestern Athletic Conference, finishing his career with 3,008 points, ranking second in SWAC history.

Swain also was a three-time Helms Foundation All-American and a member of the Chuck Taylor Converse All-American team. Swain led the Tigers to three SWAC Championships and second and third place finishes in the NAIA tournament. He served as team captain for the Tigers since his sophomore season.

The 6-8 Swain was chosen by the Boston Celtics with the seventh overall pick of the 1958 draft. He played 58 games for the NBA champions in 1958-59, his only professional season, averaging 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds as the backup center to Hall of Famer Bill Russell.