John Bruce Bernhardi passed away on July 30, 2022, at Riverside Community Hospital.
Bruce was born in Los Angeles on August 5, 1937 to John and Margaret Bernhardi and raised in Trona. A 1955 graduate of Trona High School, Bruce demonstrated his athletic versatility by playing quarterback, defensive back and defensive and offensive end. He also excelled at basketball and track.
Bruce was recruited to play football at Northern Arizona University. In his senior season (1958), the undefeated Lumberjacks won the Frontier Conference championship and played for the National Association of Interscholastic Athletics (NAIA – NCAA Division II) championship, falling to the Northeastern State University (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) “Riverhawks” by the score of 19 -13.
The 1958 Lumberjack football team was inducted into the NAU Hall of Fame in 1983. In 2008, Bruce was inducted into the Hall of Fame as an individual athlete.
Coach Bernhardi coached at Azusa High School 1960 through spring training in 1965. Coach Bernhardi arrived at Burroughs for the 1965 campaign, assisting one-year head
Coach Carl Bowser and assumed the head coaching responsibilities for the 1966 season. In his first year as head coach, Coach Bernhardi’s 1966 Burros were co-champions of the golden League with an overall record of 8 and 3. The Burros beat San Gorgonia 34 – 30 in the CIF playoffs, yet fell to Victor Valley for the second time that season 13 -0 in league and 14 – 0 in the playoffs.
Coach Bernhardi’s premier season was the 1974 campaign, the first Burroughs team to reach the CIF championship game. Losing their two pre-league contests to Bakersfield and Santa Maria (“Burroughs always plays up in pre-league”!), the Burros “ran the table” in Golden League play going 7-0. The Burros dominated in CIF play besting Mt. Carmel, Agoura, Arlington and Royal Oak, yet falling to Norwalk Neff in the title game. It would be 29 years before the Burros would return to the state finals.
Bruce and Cheryl Bernhardi were married on Saint Patrick’s Day 1979. With their marriage came a seismic career shift. Both left their teaching careers to become the fifth and final owners of Ridgecrest’s iconic Hideaway restaurant. In 1989, Bruce and Cheryl decided that the Hideaway property would better serve Bud Eyre Chevrolet, now Toyota of Ridgecrest
Bruce is survived by Cheryl, his wife of 43 years, daughter Kim (Gary) Burke, son Rob (Jana) Bernhardi, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be conducted on August 12 at 10 am at Calvary Chapel (210 East Springer). Rob Berrnhardi, Senior Pastor of the Grace Christian Church in Parowan, Utah will officiate. A reception will be held at the Elks Hall. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Bruce’s memory to the Burroughs Boosters Football account.