Bernie Masterson

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1911–1963)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Bernie Masterson

| image = Bernie Masterson (1946).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Masterson from 1947 Cornhusker

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1911|8|10}}

| birth_place = Shenandoah, Iowa, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1963|5|16|1911|8|10}}

| death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1931–1933

| player_team1 = Nebraska

| player_years2 = 1934–1940

| player_team2 = Chicago Bears

| player_positions = Quarterback

| coach_years1 = 1940

| coach_team1 = Stanford (assistant)

| coach_years2 = 1941

| coach_team2 = UCLA (assistant)

| coach_years3 = 1945

| coach_team3 = St. Mary's Pre-Flight

| coach_years4 = 1946–1947

| coach_team4 = Nebraska

| coach_years5 = 1948

| coach_team5 = NY Yankees (assistant)

| coach_years6 = 1950

| coach_team6 = Iowa (backfield)

| coach_years7 = 1951

| coach_team7 = Lewis

| overall_record = 14–18–1

| bowl_record = 1–0

| tournament_record =

| championships =

Midlands (1951)
NFL (1940)

| awards =

Second-team All-Pro (1936)
2× Second-team All-Big Six (1932, 1933)

| coaching_records =

| statleague = NFL

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 72

| statlabel2 = Starts

| statvalue2 = 37

}}

Bernard Edward Masterson (August 10, 1911 – May 16, 1963) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 1946 to 1947, compiling a record of 5–13.{{cite news | title =Bernard E. "Bernie" Masterson Records by Year | url =http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=1469 | work =College Football Data Warehouse | access-date =December 1, 2007 | archive-date =February 15, 2010 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100215084043/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=1469 | url-status =dead }} Masterson played college football at Nebraska from 1931 to 1933.[http://www.huskers.com//pdf8/705284.pdf?SPSID=251&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100 All-Time Football Letterwinners] {{webarchive |url=https://www.webcitation.org/5ghdVXN4P?url=http://www.huskers.com//pdf7/134543.pdf |date=May 12, 2009 }}, University of Nebraska, retrieved August 14, 2010. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears from 1934 to 1940.[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MastBe20.htm Bernie Masterson], Pro Football Reference, retrieved August 14, 2010.

Playing career

Masterson was a three-sport athlete at Lincoln High. He was an all-state back in football, a starter on the 1930 state championship basketball team, and a track star.{{cite web

|url = http://www.nebhalloffame.org/2003/berniemasterson.htm

|title = Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame

|access-date = January 7, 2007

|year = 2003

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929063532/http://www.nebhalloffame.org/2003/berniemasterson.htm

|archive-date = 2007-09-29

|url-status = dead

}}

File:Bernie Masterson.jpg Moving on to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he starred from 1931 to 1933 as a back on three straight unbeaten Big Six championship teams. He was selected All-Big Six in 1933.{{cite web

| url = http://www.huskerpedia.com/1940s.html

| title = Huskerpedia

| access-date = January 10, 2007

| date = 1995–2006

| work = University of Nebraska

| publisher = Sportspedia, Inc

}}

Masterson played quarterback for the Chicago Bears from 1934 to 1940 when the Bears were known as the "Monsters of the Midway". During his pro career, the Bears were 59–19–3 and were in three NFL championship playoffs. Bernie has an NFL career total of 3,372 passing yards and 35 touchdowns.{{cite web

|url=http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MASTEBER01

|title=databaseFootball.com

|access-date=January 11, 2007

|date=2002–2006

|work=Bernie Masterson

|publisher=databaseSports.com

|url-status=usurped

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060825195018/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MASTEBER01

|archive-date=August 25, 2006

}}

Coaching career

In 1940, Clark Shaughnessy hired Masterson to coach Stanford quarterback Frankie Albert.Ron Fimrite, [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1092785/index.htm A Melding Of Men All Suited To A T; Clark Shaughnessy was a dour theoretician, Frankie Albert an unrestrained quarterback and Stanford a team of losers, but combined they forever changed the game of football] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029183743/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1092785/index.htm |date=October 29, 2013 }}, Sports Illustrated, September 5, 1977.

He joined the United States Navy in 1942, and coached Navy teams for Iowa and St. Mary's Pre-Flight until 1945.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89731510/ex-bear-back-masterson-is-dead-at-50/ |title=Ex-Bear Back Masterson is Dead at 50 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |page=55 |date=1963-05-17 |access-date=2021-11-28 |via=Newspapers.com}}

He came back to Nebraska as head football coach for 1946 and 1947. He went 5–13 in the two seasons as head coach.

Death and honors

File:Grave of Bernard Edward Masterson (1911–1963) at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines.jpg

Masterson died of a heart attack in Chicago on May 16, 1963, and was buried at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines.{{cite news |title=Bernie Masterson, Played Football for Chicago Bears |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press |date=May 17, 1963 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/05/17/90560481.pdf |access-date=November 9, 2010 |url-access=subscription}} He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1977.