From his earliest days playing football for Penn Alsace as a young boy, to the NFL, to serving as a coach for many aspiring young players, Bernie Nowartarski remains dedicated to the craft, and to the determination which has helped to sustain him through life’s challenges.
Born in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Reading, Bernie attended Mt. Penn School District until the 6th grade and finished his education in the Exeter School District, graduating in 1978. A natural born athlete, he excelled in sports from a very young age. “I started playing football for Penn Alsace and stayed with it. Along the line, I went out for basketball and track, and continued with football and track through college.”
Upon high school graduation, Bernie headed to Shippensburg University and later transferred to Kutztown, where he majored in Secondary Education. “At Kutztown I did not play basketball because the coach had a rule that there would be no football players on the basketball team, so I focused on football, and indoor winter track, and spring track. I took two semesters of ballet with some of the other players to help with balance, under one condition – that there would be no recital!” he laughs.
“Right out of college, I was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks and then traded to the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, the owners locked the players out for nine or ten weeks and my attorney set me up with the Michigan Panthers, as part of the USFL, until I was let go. I kept trying to enter pro football until 1984, but things did not happen. I ended up playing on a semi-professional team in Pottstown, but I never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. I played with the Chesmont Bandits to stay in shape. It was my lifelong dream to play or coach football. Through sports I made a lot of friends. One of them was Greg Saylor, who I played side by side with while with the Chesmont Bandits. I ended up coaching high school football with him at Central Catholic for several years.”
As the reality of football as a career began to fade for him, Bernie weighed some other options. “I stopped doing high school coaching and did what every college graduate in my position did; I bought a bar business. I entered into a business partnership to purchase the Downtown Tavern at 6th and Franklin Streets in Reading. I owned the business from 1983 to 1989. I then bought a bar on Cotton Street as the sole proprietor and named it Bernie’s Bunkie. During that time I was working at the Berks County Youth Detention Center. For 13 years I worked both jobs and managed an average of 3 hours of sleep a night. The schedule became too much to handle indefinitely, so I sold the business in 1997. I had some friends who were working at Mulligan’s on a Friday and Saturday and encouraged me to come and work the club area on those days. One night a huge brawl broke out, and I was attacked by a juvenile with a knife. That was enough for me working in that atmosphere, so I retired from that line of work, and I ended up getting married.”
As life settled on to a different path, Bernie resumed coaching. “I began coaching arena football for a couple different teams. I also went into the family business, Sammy’s Steaks and Fries, and I would take the food trucks up and down the east coast. One day I accidentally walked into Body Zone and ended up getting a job with the Reading Express. This began my 20 years coaching arena football which has continued until now. From there I coached the Harrisburg Stampedes, and the Philadelphia Soul, and presently, I’m the new head coach for the Pennsylvania Benjamins.”
Bernie has been dealt some extremely difficult challenges throughout his adult life, while continuing to remain a positive role model for those around him.
“On February 29, 2012, when I thought it was a hip replacement I was dealing with, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is an incurable blood cancer. Right now, it is still incurable. My oncologist said to me, ‘Don’t go on the internet.’ At that point it was a three-year disease. It has been 15 years since my diagnosis. I got through a stem cell transplant, and I have therapy and medication and there are many more things that can be done to manage the cancer than previously. I go to St. Joseph’s for bloodwork and infusions, and have three specialists at the University of Pennsylvania who keep in contact with one another.”
Prior to taking on the position as head coach for the Pennsylvania Benjamins while managing his cancer diagnosis, Bernie contemplated what he could do with his college education in terms of employment opportunities.
“I was the athletic director for the Olivet’s Boys and Girls Club. I thought to myself, at this age I should use my education degree. I went through Kelly Services, and they said they’d like to hire me. I was hired as a teaching substitute for the Glenside Elementary School in Reading. My kids are grown up and living in different parts of the country, so I enjoy working with the kids at school, who call me ‘coachie’, and having the opportunity to make a positive difference in their young lives.”
During his time teaching another opportunity came up. “When I was hired at Glenside, I didn’t know that an arena football team was coming to town, but then managed to get the position of defensive backs and the special teams coach with the Benjamins. Then with several changes in staffing, the owners were set to hire a new head coach. With 20 years’ experience, I was approached to take the job and I accepted. It is the first time in 15 or 20 years that I do not have to drive 2 ½ hours to work, or have an apartment in another state. It is great; the Santander is ten minutes away, it is a short commute.”
While balancing his goals for the team alongside his personal goals, Bernie has offered some insight into what it takes to remain strong through adversity with an eye toward living life to the fullest.
“With the team, my goals are to have them getting known for the right reasons, and having fans start to support them. The goal is to get the name out there and build the attendance at our games. There is plenty of entertainment for sports fans, and we have a niche. Everyone is allowed on the field, and while watching the game, you are right there with footballs coming into the stands. It is much more of an intimate sports relationship. Personally, my goals at age 66 are to continue doing what I love. I love to see my five children and five grandchildren enjoying success and enjoying life. They are all involved with sports. If I can play some golf, that makes me happy. If there is any way that I can help kids in the community, it is very special for me. I love doing the football, I love the kids I work with. Of course, I wish I didn’t have cancer. These things bring a bit of happiness and contentment to me, and it goes a long way. I don’t feel 66 years old and I don’t feel sick. I would like to continue as long as possible. I do self-reflect, and I still have the dark days, and the ‘why me’ times. I have gone back to church, and find it to be a great deal of comfort. I felt that there was something missing, and it helped to fill that hole for me. I try to be a good person, and remember the things that my little Italian mother taught me growing up; like please and thank you; the things that some folks lose. Also, don’t forget your manners. I lost a child, which is something you never get over. It can be very easy to let gloom and doom take over. The day she was born and the day she passed away, it will never go away, and I would be ashamed to not recognize those days. I have that inner fight, and my faith which keeps me going. I want to be here for my kids and my grandkids, and my friends, and for all the things that matter to me. Life is pretty good!”
Learn more about the Pennsylvania Benjamins at benjaminsial.com.
