Dick Bertrand (born 1941) is a retired college ice hockey player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. Bertrand both played and coached at Cornell from 1966 through 1982 before leaving to take over at

Ferris State Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 and became a public institution in 1950. Ferris is the ninth-largest institutions of higher education by enroll ...

. He remained with the Bulldogs until leaving the team part way through the 1985–86 season, ending his ice hockey career.

Career

Bertrand began his college career as a player for Cornell in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, however was unable to suit up for the Rig Red squad that would win the National Championship that season due to the NCAA's regulations forbidding freshmen from participating. Bertrand officially hit the ice the following campaign and was part of a powerhouse Cornell squad that would only lose 4 games over the next three seasons. Despite the massive success the Big Red were unable to capture a national championship in either of the succeeding two tournaments, finishing 3rd and 2nd respectively. Following the departure of future NHL superstar Ken Dryden the 1969–70 team accomplished something no other college ice hockey team has ever matched; the Big Red squad won the

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

title as an undefeated team with a 29-0 record. After the team's second national title in 4 years head coach Ned Harkness left to take charge of the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

. For his replacement Cornell turned to Dick Bertrand and, since he had yet to graduate when he was named to the position, Bertrand became the first undergraduate to be a head coach in NCAA history (though he was 29 at the time). In his first three seasons as coach Cornell won at least 22 games every year and made the NCAA tournament twice, finishing second in 1972 and fourth the following season. For the remainder of the decade the Big Red would remain one of the nation's top teams, compiling a winning percentage of no less than .638 in any season, but the team failed to make any further tournament appearances until a surprise berth in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

. Bertrand remained with the team until 1982 when he resigned after his only losing season in Ithaca to take the top job at

. Bertrand arrived in

Big Rapids Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,601 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but it is politically independent. Big Rapids is home o ...

with the Bulldogs on the cusp of making waves in the CCHA. After two consecutive 20-win seasons, the previous year saw the team drop to 15 victories. The first two years under Bertrand saw more of the same with a 16- and 18-win campaigns but the third year was a disaster as the Bulldogs finished with an 11-26-1 mark and dead-last in the

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. While the fourth season brought a moderate amount of success Bertrand resigned after an 11-10-1 start, turning the team over to

Peter Esdale Peter Esdale is a retired ice hockey head coach who had been in charge at both American International and Ferris State. Career Esdale began his coaching career in the late-1960s and quickly rose to become the head coach at American Internatio ...

and ending his collegiate career.

Head coaching record

† Resigned midseason

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertrand, Dick 1941 births Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey forwards Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey players Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey coaches Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey coaches Ice hockey people from Ontario Living people Sportspeople from Timmins NCAA men's ice hockey national champions