Jerry Berndt

Coach interviewed me for the Head Basketball Coach position at Rice. I was amazed at what he had accomplished as the Football Coach & Athletic Director! I saw his facilities, what his competition had in the Southwest Conference and was awed. I was so impressed that I didn't know if I could do the same? I wanted to work for him, but and knew he was a special coach and man. I ran into him again at Dolphin Head golf course on HHI. He looked frail, but was very upbeat and everyone called him...

I think I may have already commented but I´m Going again. Jerry and I shared an office back in `71. He loved to laugh and I was victim to his laughter many times. He loved coaching and his family very much. YomPatricia and the family, my most sincere condolences.

I had decided to not play football my senior year at Streetsboro until Coach came to the farm to visit me. He respected my choice but he still asked me to reconsider. As he became my coach he taught me to think differently about life and people. As a former missionary and now a pastor he taught me to invite people to follow Jesus without judging them. Thank you Coach for your impact that has changed my life and the lives of many you will never know.

Jerry was my first office mate at Dartmouth. He and his wife Patricia were very nice to me & my wife Carla. We followed one another through coaching moves and JERRY OFFERED ME A JOB WHEN HE WENT TO RICE. It was sad to learn of his passing. Condolences to Patricia and his children!

I'm very sorry for your loss. It was such a privilege to know "Coach". He will be missed

The Coach meant the world to me and my family. Like so many others he gave us an opportunity to go to a great school. Little did I know that the most important part of my education was football and the man who coached it. He was a roll model for all that played for him. Being Captain for his 4th straight Ivy League Championship was more than I could have ever dreamed of. He was tough, fair, principled and a great family man. Later in life he became my friend and golf partner. He never stopped...

Hard to say goodbye to someone I considered my best friend. We grew up together, living across the street from each other in Toledo, Ohio. I will always remember having the honor of being best man when he and the love of his life, Pat married. In 1959, Jerry and I left Toledo for the University of Wisconsin, Superior to continue our athletic venture. Jerry flourished, becoming in many ways one of a kind. A unique man with unusual talents that later inspired many along the way. What a...