Martine Bercher (February 23, 1944 – December 7, 2005) was an American football defensive back for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks football team from 1962-1966.[2] He was a member of the 1964 National Championship team that won the 1965 Cotton Bowl Classic, and was named to the University of Arkansas All Century Team in 1994.
| No. 17 (Arkansas) | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive back |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1944-02-23)February 23, 1944 Fort Smith, Arkansas |
| Died: | December 7, 2005(2005-12-07) (aged 61) Fort Smith, Arkansas |
| Career information | |
| College: | Arkansas |
| NFL Draft: | 1967 / Round: 6 / Pick: 151 |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Bercher attended the University of Arkansas from 1962–1966, where he would become an All-American. Bercher played under Frank Broyles as a defensive back, and was a sophomore on the 1964 National Championship team.
Bercher was drafted in the sixth round with the 151st pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1967 NFL Draft.[3] He was with the Falcons for only the 1967 NFL season.[4]
Bercher became a member of the Minnesota Vikings for 1968. This would be the Fort Smith natives' final year of professional football.
Catholic High School hired Bercher as a teacher and assistant football coach in 1969. He moved back to Fort Smith to care for his ill father-in-law in 1972. Bercher would re-open his father-in-law's restaurant and operate it for over 30 years until his death in 2005.