Bowling Green State University Athletics
Hall of Fame
Casey, Bernard
Bernard Casey
- Induction:
- 1966
- Class:
- 1961
Bernie Casey was born Bernard Terry Casey on June 8, 1939 in the small coal mining community of Wyco, West Virginia to Frank Leslie Casey and Flossie Coleman Casey. Casey grew up during the Depression in Wyco, a hillside coal town of just 10,000 residents. The Casey family moved to Columbus, where Casey attended Garfield Elementary School, Champion Junior High and Columbus East High School. Casey had already shown an aptitude for painting and drawing, and soon he developed his athletic abilities as well, particularly in basketball and football.
Casey attended Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio in 1957, thanks in part to an athletic scholarship, but he remained intent on becoming an artist. He excelled in football while attending BGSU, and was considered a key player in the school's 1959 championship season. He was named a member of the Little All American Team, and was also competitive in track and field. He received his B.S. degree in Art Education from BGSU in 1961, and later received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the same school.
In 1961, after receiving his B.S. degree, Casey was drafted into the NFL in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers, where he would spend six seasons, followed by two years with the Los Angeles Rams. In the off-season, he returned to Bowling Green, in order to complete his M.F.A. degree, which he received in 1966. After his standout 1967 athletic season in which Casey caught 53 passes for a career-high 871 yards and eight touchdowns, Casey was named to the 1968 Pro Bowl team. Shortly thereafter, he became disillusioned with the NFL and professional sports in general, and decided to return to his creative pursuits.
In 1969, Casey appeared in his first film, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, a sequel to The Magnificent Seven. That same year, Casey wrote Look at the People: Poems and Paintings, a book of art and poetry. He would produce two similar books later on in his career: 1973's Where is the Revolution? And Other Poems and 1983's Silent Screams. In 1971, Casey produced an independent film entitled Bernie Casey: Black Artist, which focused on his thoughts and observations as a painter. As an artist, Casey has produced more than 30 solo exhibitions. He received an honorary doctorate degree from The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia, where he served for twenty years as Chairman of the Board and advocated for arts education.
Casey has made over fifty-seven appearances in film and television, including movies such as Cleopatra Jones, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Revenge of the Nerds and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and TV programs such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and L.A. Law. In 1997, Casey produced, wrote, directed and acted in The Dinner, an allegorical drama.
Bernard Casey was inducted to the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1966.
Casey attended Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio in 1957, thanks in part to an athletic scholarship, but he remained intent on becoming an artist. He excelled in football while attending BGSU, and was considered a key player in the school's 1959 championship season. He was named a member of the Little All American Team, and was also competitive in track and field. He received his B.S. degree in Art Education from BGSU in 1961, and later received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the same school.
In 1961, after receiving his B.S. degree, Casey was drafted into the NFL in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers, where he would spend six seasons, followed by two years with the Los Angeles Rams. In the off-season, he returned to Bowling Green, in order to complete his M.F.A. degree, which he received in 1966. After his standout 1967 athletic season in which Casey caught 53 passes for a career-high 871 yards and eight touchdowns, Casey was named to the 1968 Pro Bowl team. Shortly thereafter, he became disillusioned with the NFL and professional sports in general, and decided to return to his creative pursuits.
In 1969, Casey appeared in his first film, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, a sequel to The Magnificent Seven. That same year, Casey wrote Look at the People: Poems and Paintings, a book of art and poetry. He would produce two similar books later on in his career: 1973's Where is the Revolution? And Other Poems and 1983's Silent Screams. In 1971, Casey produced an independent film entitled Bernie Casey: Black Artist, which focused on his thoughts and observations as a painter. As an artist, Casey has produced more than 30 solo exhibitions. He received an honorary doctorate degree from The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia, where he served for twenty years as Chairman of the Board and advocated for arts education.
Casey has made over fifty-seven appearances in film and television, including movies such as Cleopatra Jones, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Revenge of the Nerds and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and TV programs such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and L.A. Law. In 1997, Casey produced, wrote, directed and acted in The Dinner, an allegorical drama.
Bernard Casey was inducted to the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1966.
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