Уильям Бергей: Звезда американского футбола

American football player (born 1945)

William Earl Bergey (born February 9, 1945) is an American former football linebacker who played professionally for 12 seasons, most notably with the Philadelphia Eagles of National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League (AFL) in 1969, the year before the AFL–NFL merger was completed, and continued to play with the Bengals in the NFL until 1973. Bergey subsequently signed with the Eagles the following year, where he played seven seasons until retiring in 1981. During his career, Bergey was named to five Pro Bowls, was a two time first team All Pro, and made one Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XV, his final professional game. He is an inductee of the Eagles Hall of Fame and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

Bergey was born in South Dayton, New York, in 1945. He graduated from Pine Valley Central High School in South Dayton in 1964, and graduated from Arkansas State University (ASU), where he was an All American for the Arkansas State Indians and has since been voted by fans the Top Player in Arkansas State history. He was a charter member of Delta Eta chapter of Kappa Alpha Order at ASU. He graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. At Arkansas State, Bergey set records for best tackling average in a season, most fumble recoveries in a season, most tackles in a game, most tackles in a season, and most career tackles. In 1968, Bergey averaged 19.6 tackles per game. He played in three post season all star games during his ASU career; he was selected to the All Southland Conference team three times and to the Southland Conference All First Decade Team. Bergey's jersey number 66 was retired by ASU.

Bergey was drafted by the American Football League's Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1969 NFL Draft and was an AFL All Star in his first year with two interceptions. For his efforts as a rookie, he was named the AFL Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press, the final selections made for the AFL as a league prior to the merger. He recorded three interceptions in the 1970 season, the first for the team in the NFL; the Bengals made the postseason that year, but Bergey did not record an statistic. He recorded a fumble recovery to go with an unofficial "sack". He recorded an interception in his next two combined seasons. In his final season with Cincinnati in 1973, he had three interceptions and recovered three fumbles.

Bergey signed a personal service contract on April 17, 1974 with the Washington Capitols, the owner of the World Football League (WFL)'s Virginia Ambassadors, which would later become the Florida Blazers once the circuit began play in July of that year. He was to have joined the WFL team in May 1976, after his contract with the Cincinnati Bengals expired following the 1975 season. However, the Bengals filed suit against Bergey for breach of contract and a temporary restraining order against the WFL and its franchises two days later on April 19. In the hearing, which began on April 29 and was adjudicated 15 days later on May 14, the court concluded that Bergey had not breached his contract and the Bengals' motion for a temporary injunction was denied. Bergey never received any compensation from the Blazers and was released from his WFL contract. He was traded from the Bengals to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 1977 first round selection, Wilson Whitley, and first and second round picks in 1978, Ross Browner and Ray Griffin respectively, on July 10, 1974. In July 1974, Bergey signed a five‐year contract with the Eagles. The Blazers ceased operating following the 1974 season, and the WFL itself ceased business in 1975.

Bergey played a key role in the Eagles' subsequent rise, culminating in the trip to Super Bowl XV. With the Eagles, Bergey, a four time All Pro, set the NFL record for most interceptions by a linebacker and became the highest paid defensive player in the league with a four year contract for $1 million. He earned Eagles MVP status three times. Bergey recorded 234 tackles in a single season with the Eagles. He was a popular player who was the foundation of the "Gang Green" defense that brought the Eagles back to the playoffs in 1978, 1979, and to the Super Bowl in 1980. Bergey had conflicts with guard Conrad Dobler of the Eagles' NFC East rival St. Louis Cardinals, who once spit on him while he was downed and injured. His and Dobler's volatile relationship was ranked by NFL Films at #9 on the NFL Top 10 list of feuds. Bergey retired from professional football in 1981. He was inducted into the Eagles Roll of Honor in 1988. In 2012, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Bergey to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2012.

During his playing days, Bergey served as a lieutenant in the U. S. Army Reserve. Bergey served as a color commentator on radio broadcasts of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1982 to 1983, and now does pre game and post game radio and television commentary for the team during the season. Bergey currently lives in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, with his wife Micky. He is a member of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. His son Jake Bergey is a retired lacrosse player for the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League and his son Josh Bergey is a retired lacrosse player for the Chesapeake Bayhawks of the Major League Lacrosse. Bill's brother Bruce Bergey was a standout player for the Portland Storm of the WFL.