Berrian goes from Bulldog to Bear

Former Bulldogs receiver Bernard Berrian is drafted with the 78th pick overall by the Bears

By Eddie Hughes

The phone finally rang. Everyone in Bernard Berrian’s living room could hear it but no one could find it.

It turned up behind one of the sofa cushions that withstood more than eight hours of anticipation and restless waiting on Saturday. Once the phone was dug up from behind the cushion, Berrian answered.

His cell phone had been ringing throughout the day. Each time it rang Berrian’s gathering of about 10 family members and friends got quiet. Was this the call? Was the person on the other end from the NFL organization about to draft the former Fresno State wide receiver?

None of those cell phone calls were the call. Not the one Berrian had been waiting for since 9 a.m. that morning when the 2004 NFL Draft started.

But when the house phone rang for the first time all day around 5:30 p.m., the people sitting around Berrian’s living room seemed to know it was the call.

“ I saw him over there, and I was just hoping it was someone of importance,” said Joseph Berrian, Bernard’s father.

The San Francisco 49ers, Berrian’s favorite team growing up, were on the clock for the 77th pick when the call came. Before the draft, Berrian said he thought there was a chance San Francisco would draft him. It looked like he was right.

Until the name of Clemson wide receiver Derrick Hamilton popped up on the television screen.

Berrian hung up the phone and didn’t say a word for a couple seconds.

“ The Bears,” he said while looking straight ahead and smiling.

Just seconds later, his name flashed on the bottom of the screen on ESPN2 as the Bears’ third round selection, the 78th pick overall.

Berrian got up out of the chair that he had been lounging in and walked into the dining area.

“ It’s about time man,” he said to no one in particular.

Joseph Berrian walked over for a congratulatory handshake with his son. It was a moment they both knew was coming—they just weren’t sure when.

People watching the draft in another room rushed into the living room to congratulate the newest member of the Chicago Bears. Suddenly, the feeling in the living room went from a lull to a vibrant excitement.

“ I’ve been living that dream right along with him,” Joseph Berrian said from the kitchen while Bernard celebrated with a few teammates and friends in the living room. “He’s been blessed to have made it.”

Berrian wasn’t surprised when someone else’s name came up as the 49ers’ selection, because he had been talking to Bears head coach Lovie Smith on the phone while everyone else was looking at the television wondering which team it would be.

The former Bulldogs standout might have been drafted a little later than he had hoped, but was happy to finally get that phone call after a full day of waiting.

“ Today was the longest day ever,” Berrian said while sitting on the arm of his sofa.

Berrian was expected to go in the second or third round Saturday. He caught 68 passes for 668 yards and four touchdowns in his senior season with the Bulldogs.

He was supposed to be a senior in 2002, but redshirted after tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the season opener at Wisconsin.

The season before, in 2001, Berrian assembled one of the best seasons any Fresno State receiver ever has. He hauled in 85 catches for 1,364 yards and 13 touchdowns, and set a new Western Athletic Conference record with 2,776 all-purpose yards.

“ I would like to believe that if he’s capable enough, that we could use him and use his ability to push coverage to run after the catch,” Bears offensive coordinator Terry Shea said in a story on the team’s Web site. “I think he’s got some real traits from that standpoint.”

Second-year quarterback Rex Grossman is expected to be the starter for the Bears. The receiver competition should be stiff with veterans Marty Booker and David Terrell in the mix.

Berrian joins two other former Fresno State players on the Bears—starting defensive tackle Bryan Robinson and safety Cameron Worrell. Robinson has been with the Bears since 1999 and Worrell signed as a free agent after finishing his Bulldogs career in 2002.

“ I’m real excited I get to go play with people I know,” Berrian said. “It’ll be a whole lot easier with Cameron being there. I know he’ll be straight forward with me.”

Berrian also might see some time as a return specialist. He returned one kickoff and three punts for touchdowns during his college career. In 2003, he averaged 23.1 yards per kick return and 11.6 per punt return.

Before the 2002 season, NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. rated Berrian the fifth best senior prospect in the nation.

But after the injury, Berrian said he still had to prove he was healthy.

The Bears were confident enough. Berrian leaves Thursday for minicamp with his new NFL team.

He was the 12th receiver taken in a draft that was particularly strong at the position. A draft-record seven receivers were selected in the first round.

The depth at receiver was enough to keep Berrian waiting until the middle of the third round. But he finally learned the next stop in his football-playing journey.

Berrian didn’t know yet how he would celebrate his draft selection, but knew he wanted to hurry over to Fresno State’s Warmerdam Field to see his brother Chris run track for the Bulldogs.

Berrian paused, still sitting on the arm of his sofa, to look at his college highlights being played on ESPN2.

“ It is everything I dreamed of,” Berrian said. “Dreams come true. I’m glad family and friends are here to support me.”