Post by Gene on Aug 1, 2008 19:28:32 GMT -5
www.berksmontnews.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Weekly?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_wk_article&r21.pgpath=%2FBMN%2FSports%2FWestside+Weekly&r21.content=%2FBMN%2FSports%2FWestside+Weekly%2FContentTab_Feature_2354392
7/30/08
There are a lot of adjectives to describe this Berks County native.All-American in track (while at Kutztown), All-Berks (while playing football, basketball and running track at Exeter High School), assistant football coach (Exeter, Central Catholic and Schuylkill Valley), outstanding defensive back (at Kutztown), in tryouts with two NFL teams as well as playing for the Michigan Panthers of the USFL, the Holmesburg Ramblers and the Chesmont Bandits.
Most recently though, Bernie Nowotarski, along with being the general manager and head coach of the American Indoor Football Association's (AIFA) Reading Express, was named to the Berks County Football Coaches Hall of Fame.
It was the third such honor he has received. He was also named to the Kutztown University Hall of Fame and the Exeter High School Hall of Fame
Asked if he had the same feeling about going into this Hall of Fame as opposed to being inducted into Exeter High School or Kutztown's Hall of Fame, Nowotarski had an interesting answer.
"In one aspect, this (the Coaches Hall of Fame) is the same as the other two. It's a great honor and another accolade you receive. I guess it's kind of different in the fact that Kutztown was my college and Exeter was my high school and that's voted on by the different school authorities.
"However, the Coaches' Hall of Fame is every player or coach that's walked on a field in Berks County. It's a great honor and I'm really not that good with awards because to me, I'm still involved in a game that I've been playing since I was a kid in my backyard."
"For someone to hand me an award for it is very gratifying and I'm very thankful for it."
The former defensive back began his football career at the age of five. "I used to take my younger sister and stand her out in the yard with a football in her hands," Nowotarski said, "and just tackle her until she or both of us got tired."
Nowotarski then began playing football for Exeter High School, along with basketball and track.
"In high school, the sports transitioned right into one another, and it was pretty easy for me to do," said Nowotarski. He enjoyed participating in the ones he did, and felt that there was something about each of them that he got a kick out of, but admitted that his first love (and still is) was really football.
"I certainly enjoyed basketball and there were things about being on the track team that I liked. I loved the competition of both those sports, but my heart has always been with football."
Before attending Kutztown University, Nowotarski actually spent some time at Shippensburg University. He went there for a semester through a football and basketball scholarship. He wasn't really comfortable there and didn't really know if he fit the system at that point, and choose to transfer to Kutztown.
Nowotarski noted that he used his track ability in college as a training tool for football because it worked on his speed and form running. He also took two semesters of ballet classes, which helped with balance and coordination.
Nowotarski was also a hot commodity coming out of his senior year at Kutztown. He had pro football scouts watching almost every move he made and met with a variety of teams. Nowotarski commented that there were scouts everywhere watching.
"The day of the draft I was at the Pennsylvania State track meet," Nowotarski said, "and I actually had a scout from the Dallas Cowboys drive me home to see what the results of the draft was going to be."
It was all a big blur to him, and with all the scouts watching him, he still had to keep his grades at a respectable level in order to graduate. For Nowotarski, it was an exciting experience, and it's something he'll never forget.
After not being selected in the NFL Draft, Nowotarski said his agent was able to work out a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
"We were able to work out a deal and go to Seattle," said Nowotarski. "I was from a small school and nobody gave me much of a chance I think, but it didn't take me long to show I could play. Ultimately, with both of the teams I had tryouts with, it was exciting, especially to come out of a tunnel and having 70,000 fans screaming for you.
"At Kutztown we were lucky if we had 5,000 people at a game, so I was certainly proud of it and I would not trade it in for anything else that I've done." The same can be said for Nowotarski's stint with the United States Football League's (USFL) Michigan Panthers between 1982-83. After the Panthers came the Chesmont Bandits and the Holmesburg Ramblers.
After his playing days were over, Nowotarski became an assistant coach for the football teams at Exeter, Central Catholic and Schuylkill Valley high schools. He said the methods and experience he had as a player really helped when coaching the defenses of those schools.
How he got to be where his is today with the Reading Express came to Nowotarski completely by accident.
"I saw an article in the Reading paper that there was going to be an arena football team coming to Reading in the upcoming year, and I wrote an email to their Web site. They were having a league open tryout at the Body Zone, and while I had my kids there skating, the gentleman I had been corresponding with was there.
"We shook hands and I was asked to come and meet him. I came in to meet him later on that week, and at the end of the day I was the first employee of the Reading Express."
Three years later (2008), he is now the head coach and general manager of the squad. Nowotarski says that having the mindset of a football player helps him relate well with the men on his team.
"I know the highs and lows that they go through on a weekly and even daily basis. I think coming to this team, for me, was a perfect fit."
Even though Nowotarski is thrilled to have both jobs with the Express, the duality of it, according to him, weighs on his mind more than others.
"There is a lot to think of and a lot to keep track of, but I'm absolutely doing what I love," he said. "I'm involved with football every day and I get to have my kids and family involved. To me, it's like being Tiger Woods every day and being able to golf, except I do something with football every day."
With all the accolades that Nowotarski has accrued during his football career, there's no doubt that being in the Berks County Football Coaches Hall of Fame is a big thrill for him. But for him, the biggest thrill is to just keep on doing what he's doing.
7/30/08
There are a lot of adjectives to describe this Berks County native.All-American in track (while at Kutztown), All-Berks (while playing football, basketball and running track at Exeter High School), assistant football coach (Exeter, Central Catholic and Schuylkill Valley), outstanding defensive back (at Kutztown), in tryouts with two NFL teams as well as playing for the Michigan Panthers of the USFL, the Holmesburg Ramblers and the Chesmont Bandits.
Most recently though, Bernie Nowotarski, along with being the general manager and head coach of the American Indoor Football Association's (AIFA) Reading Express, was named to the Berks County Football Coaches Hall of Fame.
It was the third such honor he has received. He was also named to the Kutztown University Hall of Fame and the Exeter High School Hall of Fame
Asked if he had the same feeling about going into this Hall of Fame as opposed to being inducted into Exeter High School or Kutztown's Hall of Fame, Nowotarski had an interesting answer.
"In one aspect, this (the Coaches Hall of Fame) is the same as the other two. It's a great honor and another accolade you receive. I guess it's kind of different in the fact that Kutztown was my college and Exeter was my high school and that's voted on by the different school authorities.
"However, the Coaches' Hall of Fame is every player or coach that's walked on a field in Berks County. It's a great honor and I'm really not that good with awards because to me, I'm still involved in a game that I've been playing since I was a kid in my backyard."
"For someone to hand me an award for it is very gratifying and I'm very thankful for it."
The former defensive back began his football career at the age of five. "I used to take my younger sister and stand her out in the yard with a football in her hands," Nowotarski said, "and just tackle her until she or both of us got tired."
Nowotarski then began playing football for Exeter High School, along with basketball and track.
"In high school, the sports transitioned right into one another, and it was pretty easy for me to do," said Nowotarski. He enjoyed participating in the ones he did, and felt that there was something about each of them that he got a kick out of, but admitted that his first love (and still is) was really football.
"I certainly enjoyed basketball and there were things about being on the track team that I liked. I loved the competition of both those sports, but my heart has always been with football."
Before attending Kutztown University, Nowotarski actually spent some time at Shippensburg University. He went there for a semester through a football and basketball scholarship. He wasn't really comfortable there and didn't really know if he fit the system at that point, and choose to transfer to Kutztown.
Nowotarski noted that he used his track ability in college as a training tool for football because it worked on his speed and form running. He also took two semesters of ballet classes, which helped with balance and coordination.
Nowotarski was also a hot commodity coming out of his senior year at Kutztown. He had pro football scouts watching almost every move he made and met with a variety of teams. Nowotarski commented that there were scouts everywhere watching.
"The day of the draft I was at the Pennsylvania State track meet," Nowotarski said, "and I actually had a scout from the Dallas Cowboys drive me home to see what the results of the draft was going to be."
It was all a big blur to him, and with all the scouts watching him, he still had to keep his grades at a respectable level in order to graduate. For Nowotarski, it was an exciting experience, and it's something he'll never forget.
After not being selected in the NFL Draft, Nowotarski said his agent was able to work out a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
"We were able to work out a deal and go to Seattle," said Nowotarski. "I was from a small school and nobody gave me much of a chance I think, but it didn't take me long to show I could play. Ultimately, with both of the teams I had tryouts with, it was exciting, especially to come out of a tunnel and having 70,000 fans screaming for you.
"At Kutztown we were lucky if we had 5,000 people at a game, so I was certainly proud of it and I would not trade it in for anything else that I've done." The same can be said for Nowotarski's stint with the United States Football League's (USFL) Michigan Panthers between 1982-83. After the Panthers came the Chesmont Bandits and the Holmesburg Ramblers.
After his playing days were over, Nowotarski became an assistant coach for the football teams at Exeter, Central Catholic and Schuylkill Valley high schools. He said the methods and experience he had as a player really helped when coaching the defenses of those schools.
How he got to be where his is today with the Reading Express came to Nowotarski completely by accident.
"I saw an article in the Reading paper that there was going to be an arena football team coming to Reading in the upcoming year, and I wrote an email to their Web site. They were having a league open tryout at the Body Zone, and while I had my kids there skating, the gentleman I had been corresponding with was there.
"We shook hands and I was asked to come and meet him. I came in to meet him later on that week, and at the end of the day I was the first employee of the Reading Express."
Three years later (2008), he is now the head coach and general manager of the squad. Nowotarski says that having the mindset of a football player helps him relate well with the men on his team.
"I know the highs and lows that they go through on a weekly and even daily basis. I think coming to this team, for me, was a perfect fit."
Even though Nowotarski is thrilled to have both jobs with the Express, the duality of it, according to him, weighs on his mind more than others.
"There is a lot to think of and a lot to keep track of, but I'm absolutely doing what I love," he said. "I'm involved with football every day and I get to have my kids and family involved. To me, it's like being Tiger Woods every day and being able to golf, except I do something with football every day."
With all the accolades that Nowotarski has accrued during his football career, there's no doubt that being in the Berks County Football Coaches Hall of Fame is a big thrill for him. But for him, the biggest thrill is to just keep on doing what he's doing.
congrats Bernie!!!!!! Keep up the great work in Reading