Giovani Bernard
Encyclopedia
Giovani "Gio" Bernard is an American football
tailback
for the 2011 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
.
. While in high school, he was ranked as the No. 2 running back in Florida by the Orlando Sentinel
and the No. 12 running back in the United States by Rivals.com
. He is the younger brother of former Oregon State
running back Yvenson Bernard
.
, but he was forced to redshirt
after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament
in his right knee during a preseason practice in August 2010.
Bernard recovered from the injury and became the starting tailback for the Tar Heels in the 2011 college football season
. He became the first North Carolina running back to rush for at least 100 yards in five straight games since Ethan Horton
in 1984. His season-high came against Georgia Tech on September 24, 2011, rushing for 155 yards. In mid-October 2011, Bernard was added to the watch list for the Maxwell Award
, presented annually to the best offensive player in college football.
During the 2011 regular season, Bernard's 1,222 rushing yards ranked 20th among NCAA Division I FBS players. During the 2011 season, Bernard also has 326 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 games. Bernard is the first running back to eclipse the 1,000-yards plateau at North Carolina since Jonathan Linton did it in 1997. He also is the top freshman running back in the nation in yards per game.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
tailback
Tailback
Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...
for the 2011 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
2011 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
The 2011 North Carolina Tar Heels football team will represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 2011 college football season. The team will be led by an interim head coach and play their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium...
.
Early years
Bernard played high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
. While in high school, he was ranked as the No. 2 running back in Florida by the Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
and the No. 12 running back in the United States by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
. He is the younger brother of former Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
running back Yvenson Bernard
Yvenson Bernard
Yvenson Bernard [EVAN-son] is a professional Canadian football running back for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
.
University of North Carolina
Bernard enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, but he was forced to redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in his right knee during a preseason practice in August 2010.
Bernard recovered from the injury and became the starting tailback for the Tar Heels in the 2011 college football season
2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season, play of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level, began on Thursday, September 1, 2011...
. He became the first North Carolina running back to rush for at least 100 yards in five straight games since Ethan Horton
Ethan Horton
Ethan Shane Horton is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League. He played one season for the Kansas City Chiefs , and seven seasons as a tight end for the Los Angeles Raiders , and the Washington Redskins...
in 1984. His season-high came against Georgia Tech on September 24, 2011, rushing for 155 yards. In mid-October 2011, Bernard was added to the watch list for the Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
, presented annually to the best offensive player in college football.
During the 2011 regular season, Bernard's 1,222 rushing yards ranked 20th among NCAA Division I FBS players. During the 2011 season, Bernard also has 326 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 games. Bernard is the first running back to eclipse the 1,000-yards plateau at North Carolina since Jonathan Linton did it in 1997. He also is the top freshman running back in the nation in yards per game.