Bernie Schneider, a San Francisco native, played baseball for the Dons in 1957 and was a member of the basketball team from 1957-1958. Though his contributions on the athletic field for USF were small, Bernie's devotion to USF as one of the department's primary historians will serve the department and Dons' fans for generations. Â
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Bernie's most notable work, "Glory and Heartbreak" is a treasure trove of information about the history of Bay Area basketball, including in-depth coverage of the Dons 1955 and 1956 championship runs. In the book, Bernie recounts a cherished memory of his playing for the 1955-1956 freshman squad. He scored five points in the first half in a scrimmage against the legendary USF varsity team that went on to win its second consecutive National Championship.
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Schneider went on to play on the junior varsity team at USF for two more years and was on the practice squad for the Dons in 1958-59. Bernie was known as a player who could drive well to either side and was very quick. According to the media guide that year he was "A good floor player. His favorite shot is the one-hand set and will be counted on to fill in various spots (USFAthletics)." Â
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He was born in Omaha, NE on June 27, 1937, to Carl Bernard Schneider and Frances (Reagan) Schneider. His family moved to San Francisco in 1938, where he grew up attending Riordan High School. He was inducted into the Riordan Hall of Fame for his achievements in basketball, baseball, and golf. He was enshrined in the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his coaching prowess in 1994.
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Bernie was a life-long Teacher and Coach. His teaching and basketball coaching career began at Marin Catholic High School and then spanned more than 25 years at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley. Bernie was a dedicated English teacher who found delight in bringing British literature to life. Bernie was also proud of the Sports in Literature class he created (USFAthletics).Â
