- Date Of Birth: June 3, 1940
- Date Of Death: October 1, 2022
- State: Florida
Joseph W. Bernal, born in Bogota, Columbia, a Boca Raton, Florida resident, and a famed Olympic Swim Coach, passed away peacefully on October 1, 2022, at 8:47 pm. He had his family and friends by his side. He was a graduate and alumnus of New York University. Joseph was an honorable member of the Naval forces. Joseph was also a swimming American record holder in 1960 and 1961 with the Badger Swim club. He was part of the 400 Medley Relay. He was the breaststroker for the relay squad and was nicknamed by his teammates and coaches “Gator.”
In his professional career starting in the late 1960s, he gained early notoriety as the Head Swim Coach at Fordham University. While at Fordham, he was able to transform a lowly Fordham men’s team to the heights of winning seven Metropolitan Colligate Swim Championships in a row. He also started his USA Swimming famed Bernal’s Gator Swim Club in 1969. In 1976, he received the Vince Lombardi trophy for coaching excellence. He also produced his first of many Olympic medalists and World record-holders. His first Olympian was Robert Hackett for the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada. Joseph was also inducted into the Metropolitan Swimming Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Fordham University Hall of fame in 2009.
After Joseph’s successful time at Fordham, he was offered the Aquatics Director and Head Men’s Swim Coach at Harvard University in 1977. Joseph was at Harvard University for 14 seasons, from 1977-1991. During his time at Harvard, he posted a 123-19 record in Cambridge, MA, including a 106-16 record in the Ivy League. His teams won seven consecutive league titles and finished no less than third. He earned seven Ivy League Coach of the Year honors. He produced two Olympians, Robert Hackett for the 1980 Olympics, boycotted by the USA team, and David Berkoff, named to the 1988 and 1992 US Olympic teams. In 1988 David broke the World record in the 100 Backstroke, being the first person to go under 55 seconds. Combined, the two swimmers totaled a 5-medal run. While at Harvard, Bernal revolutionized the “5th stroke” with the Berkoff Blast Off, with dolphin kicking as far as the athlete wanted and could maintain their speed. This resulted in National and International rule changes, new NCAA, and world records.
Joseph also moved his Bernal’s Gator Swim Club from New York to Cambridge, MA. While at Harvard and beyond, Bernal’s Gators Swim Club had been New England’s most successful swim program through 2016, when he retired. In 1981 Bernal’s Gator Swim Club hosted the US National Swim Championships at Harvard University. This was the first and only time this Championship had ever been held in New England. Once Joseph left Harvard University in 1991, he was focused and dedicated to his Nationally recognized swim club. In 2015 Joseph was inducted into the American Swim Coaches Hall of Fame (ASCA). From 1991- 2016 he produced five more Olympians, David Berkoff 1992, Scott Jaffe 1992, Raymond Brown 1992, Ray Carey 1996, and Julimar Avila 2016. Joseph also was named to the Olympic staff in 1976, 1984, and 1988. Joseph’s athletes were successful in and out of the pool, being New England Champions, Junior National Champions, NCAA champions, and 14 individual US National Champions. Out of the water, it was important that the athletes focused on academics and received acceptances into every Ivy League School and others such as Stanford, Cal Berkeley, MIT, Northwestern, and so many more. Bernal’s Gator Swim Club has over 20,000 alum members.
With Joseph’s success as an Olympic swim coach, he was also a dedicated and beloved father. In his personal life, he supported his children in anything they wanted to pursue and was always there for them in their highs and lows. He was not only a father, but a best friend, a guide in life, and always unconditionally loving.
Joseph was predeceased by his son Craig Bernal and his parents, mother Josphine Calderon and Enrique Bernal.
Joseph’s family survivors are his daughter Michelle Sweeney and grandson Broden Sweeney of Boca Raton, Florida. And granddaughter Isabella Propper of North Carolina.
Joseph was put to rest in Palm Bay, Florida, on Saturday, October 8th, at Fountain Head Memorial Park.
If you would like to donate to the Veterans Association, which was very important to Joseph, you can find the information on his daughter Michelle Sweeney’s Facebook page starting November 1, 2022.
