Hall of Fame
Art Bernardi earned four letters in football and two in both basketball and baseball. He excelled in the pigskin sport, where he was a two-way athlete as a pulling guard on offense and a linebacker on defense. As a freshman, he was a member of the 1950 team which recorded a spotless 7-0 chart and received national recognition. In basketball, Bernardi muscled people around the basket from his power forward position.
Upon graduation, Bernardi became a teacher and assistant football coach. He served stints at Wilmerding High, Hickory High and Turtle Creek before moving to Butler in 1960 as an assistant coach. After one year, he was elevated to top spot and for the next 23 seasons he made Butler a power in WPIAL circles.
Bernardi compiled an overall coaching record of 161-46-4. His 1977 edition walked away with a piece of the WPIAL AA crown. Butler entered the playoffs on six other occasions. In honor of his outstanding campaign in 1977, Bernardi was tabbed the Middle-American Conference, Pennsylvania Scholastic Coach and Dapper Dan Scholastic Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a high school coach.
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