Bernie Bierman
Bernard W. Bierman (March 11, 1894 – March 7, 1977) was an American college football and college basketball coach. He coached from 1919 to 1950 except for a span during World War II when he served in the U.S. armed forces. Bierman was the head coach at the University of Montana (1919–1921), Mississippi State University (1925–1926), Tulane University (1927–1931), and his alma mater, the University of Minnesota (1932–1941, 1945–1950), compiling a career college football head coaching record of 153–65–12. At Minnesota, Bierman's Golden Gophers compiled a 93–35–6 record, won five national championships and seven Big Ten Conference titles, and completed five undefeated seasons. Bierman was also the head basketball coach at Montana (1919–1922), Mississippi State (1925–1927), and Tulane (1928–1930), tallying a career college basketball coaching mark of 89–51.
![]() | |
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Springfield, Minnesota, U.S. | March 11, 1894
Died | March 7, 1977 82) Laguna Hills, California, U.S. | (aged
Playing career | |
1913–1915 | Minnesota |
Position(s) | Halfback |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Football | |
1919–1921 | Montana |
1923–1924 | Tulane (assistant) |
1925–1926 | Mississippi State |
1927–1931 | Tulane |
1932–1941 | Minnesota |
1942 | Iowa Pre-Flight |
1945–1950 | Minnesota |
Basketball | |
1919–1922 | Montana |
1925–1927 | Mississippi State |
1928–1930 | Tulane |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 153–65–12 (football) 89–51 (basketball) |
Bowls | 0–1 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
5 National (1934–1936, 1940–1941) 3 SoCon (1929–1931) 7 Big Ten (1933–1935, 1937–1938, 1940–1941) | |
Awards | |
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1958) | |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1955 (profile) |
Family and death
Bierman grew up in Litchfield, Minnesota and was married to Clara McKenzie Bierman. They had two sons, William A. Bierman, a lawyer in St. Paul, Minnesota, and James Bierman, of Los Angeles, California. Bierman was a brother of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.
Bierman died on March 7, 1977, at Saddle Community Hospital in Laguna Hills, California, after a long illness.[1]
Head coaching record

Football
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montana (Independent) (1919–1921) | |||||||||
1919 | Montana | 2–3–2 | |||||||
1920 | Montana | 4–3 | |||||||
1921 | Montana | 3–3–1 | |||||||
Montana: | 9–9–3 | ||||||||
Mississippi State Bulldogs (Southern Conference) (1925–1926) | |||||||||
1925 | Mississippi State | 3–4–1 | 1–4 | T–15th | |||||
1926 | Mississippi State | 5–4 | 2–3 | 14th | |||||
Mississippi State: | 8–8–1 | 3–7 | |||||||
Tulane Green Wave (Southern Conference) (1927–1931) | |||||||||
1927 | Tulane | 2–5–1 | 2–5–1 | 18th | |||||
1928 | Tulane | 6–3–1 | 3–3–1 | T–10th | |||||
1929 | Tulane | 9–0 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
1930 | Tulane | 8–1 | 5–0 | T–1st | |||||
1931 | Tulane | 11–1 | 8–0 | T–1st | L Rose | ||||
Tulane: | 36–10–2 | 24–8–2 | |||||||
Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten Conference) (1932–1941) | |||||||||
1932 | Minnesota | 5–3 | 2–3 | 6th | |||||
1933 | Minnesota | 4–0–4 | 2–0–4 | T–1st | |||||
1934 | Minnesota | 8–0 | 5–0 | T–1st | |||||
1935 | Minnesota | 8–0 | 5–0 | T–1st | |||||
1936 | Minnesota | 7–1 | 4–1 | T–2nd | 1 | ||||
1937 | Minnesota | 6–2 | 5–0 | 1st | 5 | ||||
1938 | Minnesota | 6–2 | 4–1 | 1st | 10 | ||||
1939 | Minnesota | 3–4–1 | 2–3–1 | 7th | |||||
1940 | Minnesota | 8–0 | 6–0 | 1st | 1 | ||||
1941 | Minnesota | 8–0 | 5–0 | 1st | 1 | ||||
Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks (Independent) (1942) | |||||||||
1942 | Iowa Pre-Flight | 7–3 | |||||||
Iowa Pre-Flight: | 7–3 | ||||||||
Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten Conference) (1945–1950) | |||||||||
1945 | Minnesota | 4–5 | 1–5 | T–8th | |||||
1946 | Minnesota | 5–4 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
1947 | Minnesota | 6–3 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
1948 | Minnesota | 7–2 | 5–2 | 3rd | 16 | ||||
1949 | Minnesota | 7–2 | 4–2 | 3rd | 8 | ||||
1950 | Minnesota | 1–7–1 | 1–4–1 | 7th | |||||
Minnesota: | 93–35–6 | 57–28–6 | |||||||
Total: | 153–65–12 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
|
References
- "Bernie Bierman dies at 82". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 9, 1977. p. 21. Retrieved March 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
.