The passing of former Burroughs High School football coach Bruce Bernhardi on July 30, 2022 was a sad day for many in our town. For myself, I had just received word that a close friend of mine had also passed away a few days prior to the news that Coach Bernhardi had died.
I played high school football for two coaches who personified the American spirit of competition with integrity and good sportsmanship. They also knew that sometimes respect only comes from a hard and swift kick in the ass.
Bruce Auld wrote a wonderful obituary for Coach Bernhardi in the News Review (below)
“Equally important to great coaches is providing their athletes with the skills and character to help them succeed when their playing days are finished.”
Bruce Auld, The News Review
Bruce Bernhardi: A lifetime of inspiration and a lifetime of legacy
I had the chance to visit with Bruce in the year before he passed when he was enjoying a beautiful day in Kernville along with his beloved wife Cheryl. I thanked him for a lesson he taught me that I would draw from throughout my life.
Together with Verl T. Lillywhite, also a former coach and athletic director at Burroughs High School, the two built a legacy of honor and integrity with a lesson that will help the young Burros of today as they navigate through the ups and downs of life after high school.
Coach Lillywhite began his teaching career at Burroughs High School in Ridgecrest, CA in 1970. He served as a teacher, coach and athletic director for the school until his retirement in 1991. Prior to becoming an educator and coach, he graduated from USC and played four years with the San Francisco 49ers. Verl Thomas (V.T.) Lillywhite passed away July 14, 2007 in Mesa, AZ. Verl was born in Garland, Utah on December 5, 1926.
If there was anyone who knew how to kick ass it was Coach Verl T. Lillywhite. Together with the stare of Coach Bruce Bernhardi glaring at you with his piercing eyes and relatively calm demeanor, the kick-in-the-ass plus the deadly stare was more than most young athletes can comprehend today.
The legacy of Coach Bernhardi was personified in the stories told at his memorial service, with tear-filled old-timers reminiscing about his leadership qualities and the inspiration he gave to his formerly young football players.
I have always been impressed that Burroughs athletes that were toddlers when Bruce hung up his whistle were in awe of Bruce’s legacy and now, I observe a third generation of athletes equally in awe of Bruce’s legacy.
Bruce Auld, The News Review
Yes, they had a few tricks up their sleeves, and a favorite for the ’74 Burros was sending running back Amos Blanche right through the center of the line over a pile of mangled bodies, one of which was mine.
Coach Bernhardi is the primary reason I spent my career as a coach. As a player, I admired how he and his staff was able to bring out the very best in us, stuff we didn’t know we had in us, Just do the best you can and play you’re A$$ OFF, He taught us to be tough, and that mentality stayed with us throughout our later years, and still to this day I reflect on how BHS was always ‘Toughest Team’
Mark Gritton BHS 1979 via The News Review
I could hear Coach Bernhard yelling at me on numerous occassions throughout my life, especially when seemingly endless, enduring pain became debilitating. Push yourself I could hear him yell!
I’ll take a moment give my recollection of the 1973-74 classes of Burros football and will stand corrected if someone informs me otherwise:
Together with the class of 1973, the Burroughs Burros ran up a win-loss record of 17-2, the only two losses were to the Antelope Valley Antelopes. We started off the 1973 season with wins over the Bakersfield Drillers and the Santa Maria Saints, lost the league opener to the Antelopes, and didn’t lose another game until the last game of the 1974 season with another loss to the Antelopes. That’s what I remember, though my memory isn’t the greatest at 67.
I lost track of the Burros after ’75, so I’m sure there will be some disagreement, but it must be said. The 1973 and 1974 classes of Burros were absolutely the all-time TOP 2 teams ever in the recorded history of BHS football. And it was all due to our coaches at Burroughs. We had the best thanks to Coach Bernhardi and Coach Lillywhite.
There you have it. It is written.
Let it be said.
P.S. I’d have to dig out the yearbook to prove or disprove this and am willing to publicly defend the “Top Two Classes” regardless of the facts including win-loss records. So there. Only the coaches know for sure, and I will freely admit that I am wrong when they tell me I was wrong.
One of the things they taught us that has been lost in our hyper-competitive professional sports and the trans-rainbow invasion into women’s sports is the word sportsmanship. Thanks to all of our coaches for teaching us the meaning of true sportsmanship.
We will miss Coach Bernhardi and Coach Lillywhite.
Mike Sinnott, publisher@roadrunner395.com
Class of 1974. All Golden League (Center) and recipient of the Coaches Award on behalf of the 1974 Burroughs Burros.
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