UNLV REBELS

Gary Bernardi

Position: Offensive Line/TEs Experience: 5th year

Veteran football man Gary Bernardi enters his fifth season at UNLV and will again oversee the Rebel offensive tackles and tight ends as well as direct the program's recruiting efforts.

A longtime assistant in the Pac-10 Conference, Bernardi has coached in 12 bowl games, including four Rose Bowls.

In 2007 Bernardi mentored freshman left tackle Matt Murphy, who earned Football Writers of American and AON Insurance First Team Freshman All-America honors while also being named honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference. Murphy was one of only 12 freshmen on the FBWA list.

He spent the 2004 season as offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Northern Arizona University prior to joining UNLV in 2005. Previous to joining the Lumberjacks, he spent 10 seasons coaching at UCLA and helped put together multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes with the Bruins. He began his coaching career at the University of Arizona in 1980 and worked for the Wildcats until following head coach Larry Smith to USC in 1987, where he would eventually serve on the same Trojans staff as Mike Sanford.

Bernardi has tutored seven NFL-bound tight ends and worked with future pro offensive linemen such as Jonathan Ogden, Kris Farris and Tony Boselli.

"I have known Gary Bernardi for a long time, which included coaching alongside him at USC," Sanford said. "He is an extremely hard-working coach who has proven to be a great recruiter at places like USC and UCLA. He has had opportunities from other schools and has remained with us, which we are extremely excited about."

Bernardi began his coaching career at Bell-Jeff High School in Burbank, Calif. (1973-74), and spent 1975 as an assistant at his alma mater of Monroe High School in Sepulveda, Calif. From 1976-79, he served as receivers and tight ends coach at Fountain Valley (Calif.) High School, including working with future All-American Ken Margerum. Bernardi moved to UCLA after serving as head coach at Burroughs High School in Burbank in 1993.

An all-league receiver at Monroe before graduating in 1971, Bernardi attended College of the Canyons before moving on to Cal Sate Northridge, where he earned his degree in 1976.

While at UCLA, Bernardi was a key member of the Los Angeles chapter of the ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Association and has assisted in their on-going fundraising efforts.

Gary and his wife, Leigh are the parents of three children: Marina (25), who works at Medtronic Inc., and 22-year-old twins Briana, who will be a senior softball player at UNLV this season, and Joe, who will be a junior offensive lineman at Fresno State. Bernardi's brother, Rob, has been the athletics director at Nicholls State in Thibodeaux, La., since 2000.

BERNARDI AT A GLANCE

Born:	Sept. 24, 1954
Wife:	Leigh
Children:	Daughters -
		Marina (25),
		Briana (22)
		Son - Joe (22)
Education:	CS Northridge, 1976 -
		bachelor's degree in physical education
Coaching Experience:
	2005-pres.	UNLV - tight ends, off. tackles.
	2004		Northern Arizona - offensive line.
	1993-2003	UCLA - tight ends.
	1987-92		USC - tight ends, off. tackles,
			special teams coord.
	1986		Arizona - tight ends, off. tackles,
			admin. asst.
	1985		Arizona - wide receivers, admin. asst.
	1980-84		Arizona - tight ends, off. tackles,
			admin. asst.
UNLV Recruiting Area:
	Arizona, San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley,
	Antelope Valley, Calif., Ventura County, Central Coast
Phone Number:	(702) 895-3452