Berticelli embodied ND spirit
By KERRY SMITH
Assistant Sports Editor
Bernadette Cafarelli was having a bad day. So, of course, she went to talk to the friend she knew could cheer her up.
Cafa-relli, the associate sports information director, vented her frustrations to Mike Berticelli. The next day, a bouquet of flowers sitting on her desk welcomed her to work.
Mike Berticelli always knew the right thing to do.
Whether it was cheering up a co-worker or demanding his teams play to their fullest, the 10-year Irish soccer coach seemed to have the perfect words or gestures for any situation.
"Mike could cheer up your day just by saying something funny," said Cafarelli. "I always enjoyed talking to him. Many times I would go down to his office with the intention of staying only five minutes but end up being there for over an hour just talking."
The unexpected death of Berticelli leaves a void in the Notre Dame community that will be hard to fill.
The University will remember Berticelli, who died Tuesday of a heart attack at the age of 48, as a demanding soccer coach, a thoughtful colleague and a loyal friend.
In his 23-year coaching career, Berticelli was known for rebuilding failing soccer programs into success stories. In the last 10 years, he took Notre Dame from a lackluster program in the late '80s and thrust it into the national spotlight with impressive recruiting and consistent winning records in the '90s.
Although he could share a joke off the field, Berticelli was an intense and demanding coach on the sidelines.
"As a coach he meant a lot to the team. He cared more about the players and the team than anyone," said Stephen Maio, a junior defender. "He put so much effort into coaching and brought a lot of enthusiasm and excitement to the team."
Berticelli worked hard and pushed his players to do the same.
"I had been injured and out for a while and then I came back and got another minor injury," said Ryan Cox, a senior Irish forward. "I shied away from playing because I was afraid of getting injured again and he came up to me and said, `You need to get back on track and get over that injury mentality.' He was very direct with the team — if he thought you should be doing something or needed to improve on something, he would come right out and tell you. He was that kind of coach."
In a career that spanned three decades, Berticelli earned enough professional accolades to fill a room.
He was awarded consecutive coach-of-the-year honors from 1977 to 1984, then again in 1989 and 1993 in the conferences in which he coached.
Berticelli's players respected him both on and off the field. They paint a picture of a man who was dedicated not only to his passion for coaching but also his concern for others.
"He'd go to bat for anybody," said Maio. "He was everybody's friend on the team and he would support his players no matter what their history ... He was always there when you needed to talk. He was a coach and a friend."
His dedication to his players' well being was so apparent that his players viewed him as more than simply a coach.
"He was very demanding, but he always had your back," said Cox. "He would support you no matter what. You could call him in the middle of the night and he would be there for you — he was just that type of father figure."
In October, after garnering his 100th win as Irish head coach, Berticelli told about his strong love for Notre Dame.
"One of the quotes Lou Holtz used to say is that "No matter what background you come from or what you think is important, Notre Dame will not become you, you will become Notre Dame,'" said Berticelli. "For me, that reflects all the beliefs and traditions of this place. Everyone here has their priorities in the right place."
Luckily for Notre Dame, Berticelli's heart was there, too.
All News Stories for Wednesday, January 26, 2000
