Doug Berger Rookie of the Year

Doug Berger's involvement with XC and Track goes back to 1973 when he began as head coach of both sports at Gordon Tech in Chicago. He has also been the head XC and assistant Track coach at Loyola University and has coached at Loyola Academy.

In the 2021 track season Doug signed on as an IHSA track official. As we are all aware, 2021 was a most unusual year as schools again hosted meets following 2020 the Covid year. Doug worked many meets assigned by Bill Drennen, his nominator for RoY, in the Central Suburban League, (CCL). Kerry Dean also assisted in the nomination of Doug. A quote from Kerry’s nomination letter reads in part…

“Doug possessed all the positive attributes of a seasoned track official and required no direction at any point. For a first year official, he is a natural whether it was his delivery of the start commands, speaking to the athletes, or discussing concerns with the coaches.”

During that season Doug was able to work about 16 track meets ranging from small dual meets to large invitationals that included the CCL Conference Championship as the asst. starter and the Loyola Academy IHSA Girls Sectional as a clerk. 

During the 2021 XC season Doug was the starter at a few quad meets and an invitational. He was also an assistant starter at an IESA sectional, the Dukane Conference meet, and the Glenbrook South IHSA sectional.

Doug's coaching background, willingness to help out, and enthusiasm have marked him as an outstanding official during his first seasons in both track and cross country. Doug worked with Bill Drennan, Jay Marshall, and Kirt Davies for the mentoring program.