2023 Dave Bernhard

The Beecher High School Athletic Hall of Fame Commission is pleased to announce Dave Bernhard as a member of the 2023 Hall of Fame Class. Dave, a 1971 Beecher graduate, is most well known for being the face and the voice of the IHSA.

Prior to his career in broadcasting, Dave was an outstanding student athlete for the Bobcats. He was a member of the Beecher baseball team for four years and was also a member of the golf team. Dave was an ace southpaw on the mound for the Bobcats. Over his career he pitched an outstanding 4 no-hitters. While Dave was superior on the athletic field, he was also excelling in the classroom becoming the 1971 BHS valedictorian.

After graduating from Bradley University, Dave entered the field of education and became a math teacher in the Lincoln-Way school district. While at Lincoln-Way, Dave took the reins of the baseball program from 1985-1991. During that time his teams combined for a 161-66 record as well as a AA regional championship in 1990.

While Dave got his foot in the door on the coaching side of high school athletics, he began to branch out to the media side. Prior to being the voice of the IHSA, Dave called games on WJOL radio out of Joliet while also hosting a weekly prep sports cable TV show. Most recently Dave was the voice of DePaul womens basketball. Not only did he carve out a role in the radio and TV booth, Dave also covered games as a newspaper stringer as well.

Since the turn of the century, Dave has been on the call as a play by play announcer for IHSA state finals in basketball, football, and baseball. It is estimated that Dave has been on the call for approximately 500 state final contests. Dave’s outstanding work as an announcer has been recognized in the form of two local Emmy and two Cable Ace award nominations. Dave was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009 for his work broadcasting IHSA events. He was also recognized in 2017 by the IHSA and received the IHSA Distinguished Media award.

Longtime TV partner, Mark Lindo, has these words to say about Dave. “Dave Bernhard is the consummate professional. His work ethic, preparation, and passion for calling state finals on statewide television is beyond reproach. He works with attention to every detail to best highlight the accomplishments of young women and men. Dave with the full support of his loving family is best described as a PRO”