Matt Bernstein Explained
Matt Bernstein (born December 26, 1982) is a former American football fullback. He played college football at University of Wisconsin–Madison. He attempted to play in the Arena Football League (AFL) after a stint in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions.[1] [2] He was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He has two brothers, Alex and Ben.
High school
- Two-time Class C Player of the Year selection at Edgemont Junior – Senior High School in New York.
- Played fullback, linebacker, and tight end.
- Rushed for 1,885 yards and 25 scores as a junior.
- Added 37 touchdowns and 2,002 yards on the ground and made 108 tackles with seven forced fumbles as a senior, earning the prep version of the Heisman Trophy for that performance.
- Finished his career ranked third all-time in New York prep annals in scoring with 504 points.
- Con Edison Scholar-Athlete
College
As a junior, Bernstein, who is Jewish,[3] [4] fasted in observance of the religious holiday Yom Kippur prior to a game against Penn State. Bernstein recovered from the fast with a "pregame IV bag, and during the game, moved on to turkey slices, fruit and the Penn State defense", according to ESPN.[5] [4]
- Produced 53 touchdown-resulting blocks for a ground game that totaled 71 rushing touchdowns during his first three seasons at Wisconsin.[6]
- Averaged 10 knockdown blocks per game and made 11 touchdown resulting blocks as a pass protector.[7]
- Preseason All-American and All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection by The NFL Draft Report as a senior.[6]
- Inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[8]
- Started every game as a junior and finished third on the team with a career-high 300 rushing yards and a touchdown.[6]
- Played in every game in 2003 as a sophomore and emerged as the starting fullback.[6]
- Elroy Hirsch Football Scholarship.[9]
- Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection as a redshirt freshman.[6]
- Signed by the Lions as an undrafted free agent.[6]
See also
- List of select Jewish football players
External links
Notes and References
- http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164882003767&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull "Former Badger gets taste of Israel"
- http://mlntherawfeed.squarespace.com/football-transactions/2007/1/18/philadelphia-soul-sign-fbs-matt-bernstein-and-george-layne-afl.html "Philadelphia Soul Sign FB's Matt Bernstein and George Layne – AFL"
- Web site: Mietkiewicz . Mark . To play or pray: Yom Kippur and Jewish pro athletes . St. Louis Jewish Light . September 14, 2013.
- Web site: Maisel. Ivan. Bernstein feasted on Penn State after fasting. ESPN. 3 April 2014.
- Web site: Mietkiewicz . Mark . To play or pray: Yom Kippur and Jewish pro athletes . St. Louis Jewish Light . September 14, 2013.
- Web site: 44 Matt Bernstein. DetroitLions.com. September 1, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070805232642/http://www.detroitlions.com/bio.cfm?bio_id=391&season=8 . August 5, 2007.
- Web site: Matt Bernstein Draft Profile. FoxSports.com. September 1, 2007. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070930043920/http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/draft/prospect?contentId=5527532&year=2006. September 30, 2007.
- http://www.jewishsports.org/jewishsports/detail.asp?sp=176 Profile of Bernstein
- http://www.nationalwclub.com/chalktalkpdfs/Chalk_Talk.pdf Badger Chalk Talk