Rod Bernstine
Contributors to Wikimedia projects
Roderick Earl Bernstine (born February 8, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a running back and tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 1987 NFL draft with the 24th overall pick.[1] Bernstine played in nine NFL seasons from 1987 to 1995. His best season as a pro came during the 1993 season as a member of the Denver Broncos, when he rushed for 816 yards and caught 44 receptions. Due to a loophole in official NFL rules he was the only active running back allowed to wear the number 82 while playing for the San Diego Chargers, a number reserved for wide receivers and tight ends. Upon being traded to the Denver Broncos in 1993 he changed his number to 33, an official running back number.
| No. 82, 33 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back Tight end | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | February 8, 1965 (age 59) Fairfield, California, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 238 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Bryan (Bryan, Texas) | ||||||||||
| College: | Texas A&M | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1987 / round: 1 / pick: 24 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Bernstine lettered at Texas A&M from 1983 to 1986. Before his sophomore season at Texas A&M, Bernstine reacted negatively after then-A&M coach Jackie Sherrill told him that he was being moved to tight end, after playing a year at running back. As a senior in 1986, he was named first team All-SWC at tight end.[2] That same year, he set the school record for the most receptions in a single season with 65, a record that stood until 2010. Bernstine's 65 catches is still the school single-season record for most ever by a tight end.[3]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1987 | SDG | 10 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 76 | 7.6 | 15 | 1 |
| 1988 | SDG | 14 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 340 | 11.7 | 59 | 0 |
| 1989 | SDG | 5 | 0 | 15 | 137 | 9.1 | 32 | 1 | 21 | 222 | 10.6 | 36 | 1 |
| 1990 | SDG | 12 | 1 | 124 | 589 | 4.8 | 40 | 4 | 8 | 40 | 5.0 | 11 | 0 |
| 1991 | SDG | 13 | 8 | 159 | 766 | 4.8 | 63 | 8 | 11 | 124 | 11.3 | 25 | 0 |
| 1992 | SDG | 9 | 1 | 106 | 499 | 4.7 | 25 | 4 | 12 | 86 | 7.2 | 16 | 0 |
| 1993 | DEN | 15 | 14 | 223 | 816 | 3.7 | 24 | 4 | 44 | 372 | 8.5 | 41 | 0 |
| 1994 | DEN | 3 | 3 | 17 | 91 | 5.4 | 24 | 0 | 9 | 70 | 7.8 | 16 | 0 |
| 1995 | DEN | 3 | 3 | 23 | 76 | 3.3 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 54 | 10.8 | 38 | 0 |
| 84 | 45 | 670 | 2,990 | 4.5 | 63 | 22 | 149 | 1,384 | 9.3 | 59 | 2 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1992 | SDG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Bernstine and his ex-wife Stephanie met at Bryan High School in Bryan, Texas. They began dating while both were students and at Texas A&M University. They have two children. They all reside in the Denver, Colorado area.[4]
Bernstine's older brother Nehames "Pookie" Bernstine played baseball for Lewis-Clark College in Lewiston, Idaho. Pookie Bernstine was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 5th Round (118th overall) of the 1982 amateur entry draft (June-Reg).[5]
Bernstine's son, Roderick E. Bernstine Jr., signed a letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Denver in November 2012, but transferred to the University of North Dakota after only one season.[6] His nephew, Jordan, was a safety who formerly played for the Washington Redskins.[7]
- ^ "1987 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Burson (2004), p. 93.
- ^ "Most Receptions - Season".[permanent dead link]
- ^ Burson (2004), pp. 95–97.
- ^ "Major Leaguers - the Baseball Cube".
- ^ Chambers, Mike. "Cherokee Trail basketball star Roderick Bernstine, son of former Bronco, finds footing on court Read more: Cherokee Trail basketball star Roderick Bernstine, son of former Bronco, finds footing on court". Denver Post. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
- ^ Jones, Mike (April 11, 2013). "Jordan Bernstine targeting training camp return date". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- Burson, Rusty (2004). Texas A&M, Where Have You Gone?. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-753-8.