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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. John Bernard
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Home Phone: -- Football: Bernard a weapon for Bears, Cajuns October 14, 2009 Daily Advertiser John Bernard accomplished a lot in his football career. He started for two seasons during the golden years of Carencro High football and even played as a sophomore. During that stretch, he earned first team All-State honors as a running back his senior season and led the Carencro Golden Bears to one of the program’s two trips to the state finals in that 1996 season. He went on to play three seasons for the UL Ragin’ Cajuns, earning Louisiana Newcomer of the Year honors in his first season in the Vermilion and White. Over a decade later, though, Bernard still remembers how close he came to his football career ending before it ever really began. Before he was a star at Carencro High, Bernard was a scout-squad performer, like many youngsters not named Kevin Faulk and Damien James for the Golden Bears. Not unlike many underclassmen, it wasn’t a role that he enjoyed. “I was tired of getting beat up,” Bernard said. “To me, I just felt like they were abusing me. If it wasn’t for Mac Barousse, I would have quit. I wouldn’t have done all the things I did in football and I wouldn’t have accomplished things, like going to college. I think about what he (Barousse) did for me all the time. “He just sat me down and told me that I was good enough to get to the next level and that I just had to be patient.” History soon proved Barousse a prophet. Barousse said he could see Bernard’s potential and told the youngster that he wasn’t going to leave the office until he gave him a good reason why he was quitting football. “After he told me, I told him that he could end up being as good as he wants to be,” Barousse said. “John was such a good kid. I don’t think he ever realized how good he was” If Barousse didn’t know, he learned it in the second half of the last game Bernard ever played for the Golden Bears. That just happened to be the 5A state finals against West Monroe. “It was 3-0 at the half and John came to me and told me to just give him the ball,” Barousse said. “He was right. We didn’t get him the ball enough in the first half. John played great in the second half and almost won the game for us.” In fact, the only thing that kept Carencro from reversing that 24-21 loss to West Monroe was bruising back Tommy Banks. “He was like a one-guy team,” said Bernard, who still lives in the area and currently works for a local oil field company. “We just couldn’t stop him. He was a great high school player.” Bernard went on to play three years at UL, which took advantage of his rushing and receiving skills. Barousse said Bernard was the only academically qualified player he coached at Carencro who turned down an offer from LSU. Indeed, Bernard’s prep career was during the Bears’ good old days, and it’s hard for him to watch the program suffering these days. “You can’t be on top forever,” Bernard said. “Somebody else is going to take over at some point. It is hard to see the way they’re playing right now, though. “I think it’s because the parents don’t let the coaches work the kids as hard as they used to work us. Because of the parents, the coaches have gotten a lot more lenient.” Posted Oct. 14, 2009
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