Art Bernardi taught more than football. He taught life.

Butler High School’s head football coach from 1961 through 1985, who compiled a record of 179-64-7 that included nine WPIAL playoff berths and five district championship game appearances, died Saturday at age 93.

“Football was a game Coach Bernardi used to teach us about life,” said Hank Leyland, who coached with and played for Bernardi. “That was a gift he gave to all of us.”

Bernardi had only two losing seasons at Butler. He was inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame in 1979, was honored as a Butler Football Hometown Hero in 2005, and was one of the early inductees into the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame, an organization he helped to create.

Butler’s football stadium was renamed Art Bernardi Stadium a number of years ago. He served on the Butler school board for years after his retirement as coach.

“I’m happy they named the stadium after him. Art deserved that,” former Butler, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Hanratty said. “He was just a good man. His family and Butler football were the most important things in his life.

“Over 20 years, Art Bernardi sent 62 players to college on Division 1 scholarships. Maybe a half-dozen of us could have afforded college otherwise.”

Current Butler head football coach Eric Christy said Bernardi’s name forever will be synonymous with Butler football.

“When you think of Butler football, you think of Art Bernardi,” he said. “The man never quit caring about the program. Even in recent years, he would pop in on practice, just to see how things were going.

“Coaches impact lives. He impacted the lives of thousands.”

Ralph McElhaney, who also played for and coached with Bernardi, said Butler football was always on his mind.

“It was hard for him to walk away,” McElhaney said. “I guarantee you, one of the final thoughts he had before he died ... Butler football was in there. His passion never left.”

Bernardi, Lindy Lauro at New Castle, Pete Antimarino at Gateway “were the leaders of Western Pa. high school football for years,” Leyland said. “They were incredible rivals on the field, tremendous friends off it.

“Art had everybody wanting to play football. We bonded up on that hill as players. He said to play football at the level we did ... he convinced us we were special. I’ve never forgotten that.”

Pete Telleri played for Bernardi from 1972-75. He went on to become a general in the United States Marine Corps, serving a 34-year career there. Bernardi was a Marine as well.

“That’s a unique bond we always shared,” Telleri said. “I can credit Coach Bernardi for defining who I was and what I stood for playing Golden Tornado football. At every practice, he pushed me beyond my limits, to ‘give my all’ on the field.

“This high bar served me well for 34 years in the United States Marine Corps. He taught me tenacity, drive and grit. Coach Bernardi talked the talk and walked the walk. He was a family man, a religious man, and he always gave back. He never forgot any of his players.

“Throughout my life, the way I conduct myself ... I feel like I’m answering to him,” Telleri added.

Gary Milanovich, Ed Codi and Jim Kamerer were among a core of loyal assistant coaches who worked under Bernardi for years. Codi played for him as well.

“I was student-teaching in 1968 and Coach Bernardi asked me if I had interest in joining his staff,” Milanovich said. “I never left. We all spent hours together every day, scouting, coaching, meetings. We became a big family and he was the head of it. We all learned so much from him.

“When I was coaching at the junior high level, we’d have 100 kids out there. We’d run out of uniforms and equipment; there were so many kids playing. Everyone wanted to be a part of it.”

During Bernardi’s era, there was no lacrosse or soccer at Butler. The primary sport was football.

And countless numbers of kids were playing for Butler.

“Our roster numbers were so high, and Art used those numbers,” Kamerer said.

Kamerer said the two-platoon system Bernardi employed — 11 boys on offense, a different 11 on defense — keyed his success through the years.

“We had well over 100 players on the team, and Art wanted to get as many kids on the field as possible,” Kamerer said. “During practice, we had two separate 11-on-11 drills going on at the same time. Because kids were specialized by position, they worked with the same offensive or defensive coaches all the time.

And Art never interfered with the assistants. He had confidence in us. He let us coach. I think that’s why so many of us stayed for long.“

Codi pointed out two dominant runs in the Bernardi era — the Tornado going 26-3 with two WPIAL title game appearances from 1963-65, then 39-5 with two more title game appearances from 1975-78.

“Art was an intelligent man with so much football knowledge,” Codi said. “We’d do clinics together in addition to the season ... He was a lot of fun to be around. We played a lot jokes on him, and he was always good-natured about it.”

McElhaney described Butler football in the 1970s as “ridiculous.”

“That stadium was packed every Friday night. The atmosphere was off the charts,” McElhaney said. “Coach Bernardi was always about discipline. No long hair, bad grades or bad behavior — it was his way. He threw some talented players off the team who didn’t follow his rules.

“He was tough, but he earned the players’ respect, and he made them respect themselves.”

“Just a good man, respected everywhere,” Hanratty said. “He lived a full life. I ... all of Butler ... will miss him dearly.”

There is no visitation planned for Bernardi. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at All Saints Parish, St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church, 432 Center Ave. The obituary is on Page 8.