College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame
UC Santa Barbara (1964-72)
University of Washington (1972-74)
ABC Sports
"Bernie," who served as UCSB's Sports Information Director from 1964-72, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2002. During his time with the Gaucho program until his passing at the age of 83 in October 2019, he touched the lives of innumerable student-athletes, staff members and members of the Santa Barbara community.
After spending three years as a sports journalist in his native San Francisco Bay Area, Bernie became UCSB's first Sports Information Director in 1964. He churned out press releases and features. He cajoled the media to cover the Gauchos. He got to know every UCSB athlete. If you wore the Blue and Gold, you became part of Bernie's family forever.
In Bernie's second year in Santa Barbara, the Gaucho football team earned an invitation to the Camellia Bowl, a highlight in the program's history. Following the 1971-72 school year, he accepted the position of Sports Information Director at the University of Washington and, following two years in Seattle, he departed for New York City where he joined ABC Sports as Director of Communications handling college football PR for the network.
Following 15 years at ABC, Bernie moved on to Cohn & Wolfe, one of the world's largest full-service global communications agencies. He remained there for 25 years until retiring in the summer of 2016.
In 1982, Bernie was inducted into the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Hall of Fame. In addition, he was presented the "Tommy Trojan Award" by the University of Southern California- the first non-USC alumnus so honored - in recognition for his long service and support of college football.
Despite leaving UCSB in 1972, Bernie would make regular visits and he remained a loyal Gaucho. For those fortunate enough to have known him, his incredible professionalism was matched by his amazing kindness, generosity and loyalty. Bernie never forgot his Blue and Gold roots and if you were a Gaucho, regardless of era or sport, he automatically embraced you and you became part of his family.