Jim Bertelsen

JIM BERTELSEN – CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Saturday, June 26th at 1 PM at The Common Interest 8440 Burnet Rd Austin, TX 78757. The dress is casual. Please RSVP and if you have photos of our dad please send them to andybertelsen@yahoo.com

The Bertelsen family is very appreciative of the kind words and stories everyone has shared in regards to the passing of our dad. We realize that everyone is suffering a loss to some degree, be it that of a dad, teammate, grandpa, brother, or a great friend. With that in mind, (and although I’m sure he would be rolling his eyes saying “y’all are gonna do what now??? Why???) we have decided to hold a celebration of his life.

Favorite memory of Jim – we had a party out in the country celebrating Jerry Seismore’s being drafted by Philadelphia. This is in February and we’re all out in this field. Some of were “feeling no pain” and decided to go swimming in a stock tank on the property. Shortly after, “Tuggy” comes driving through the pasture I n his new Cadillac convertible. Big mistake! Over enthusiastic guests were crawling all over his new Caddy!

Larry Smith

This celebration will be heartfelt, yet informal. There will be an open microphone for anyone who feels compelled to speak, food and beverages will be available for purchase through the Common Interest, as per usual, and the seating will be first come first serve. We will have photos of Dad circulating on the venue’s television system and we encourage anyone who would like to contribute any pictures to email them to andybertelsen@yahoo.com. It would be most helpful for you to RSVP so we can plan the event. We look forward to seeing everyone and sharing memories. Many thanks, Andy & Katie Bertelsen Date

Two videos of Jim

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10109336639656377&id=29621617

Teammate – Chal Barnwell

We lost one of the greatest Longhorns of all time and a very dear friend. Jim Bertelsen came to Texas from Hudson, WI, and never left. He had the most explosive contact blast I ever encountered and a high gear that accelerated to Mach speed with no obvious exertion. Could ride a horse like a rodeo star, lasso with the best, and juggled like one of the Marx brothers. I miss him terribly already. RIP Tuggy

Longhorn and Philidelphia Eagle Bill Bradley

What a great friend! Would drive out to see his secluded butt, and we would sit.

On my pick-up truck tailgate and solve the world problems and relive the glory days and talk about all of our great friends we have from the game of football! HS, COLLEGE, and Pros! What great memories he had to share! That’s one of the reasons trucks made tailgates! For Jim B to share stories! He was one of the quietest funniest guys we Eva had! What an observer and rememberers I know! Luv him gonna miss him a lot!

Deeds, Not Words: Jim Bertelsen 1950-2021

by Larry Carlson ( lc13@txstate.edu)

Article written by Larry Carlson about Jim Bertelsen

It didn’t take long for sophomore Jim Bertelsen to establish himself in his first varsity year.

The teenager from faraway Wisconsin scored the first Longhorn TD of the season against Cal in the opener, a 17-0 win. He led the Horns’ crushing ground game with 97 yards in the debut.

There was lots more where that came from.

In December, Bertelsen scored the tying touchdown in the now legendary Big Shootout, a late two-yard plunge that enabled Texas to beat Arkansas, 15-14, for the national championship. Bertelsen led the Longhorns in rushing (740 yards), average per carry (7.1 yds), and touchdowns (13) while throwing devastating blocks for James Street, Steve Worster, and Ted Koy.

Bertelsen displayed more of the same tendencies as a junior and senior, earning All-SWC honors both years. He finished his UT career (’69-’71) as second-leading rusher, behind only Chris Gilbert (’66-’68) in school record books.

I recently wrote a story about out-of-state Longhorn standouts, published on the TLSN site. Bertelsen was the only star in Darrell Royal’s two decades who came from beyond the borders of the Republic of Texas. As a high schooler with a love for history and geography and with a room painted burnt orange, I found it fascinating that Bertelsen arrived from exotic Hudson in “America’s Dairyland” to perform for the Longhorns. I pictured frozen tundra, a cheese-producing town in the middle of snowy plains and a guy who probably went ice-fishing when not toting a pigskin.

After consulting an atlas, I found that Hudson was in reality a suburban part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area just across the Minnesota-Wisconsin line. The tundra was likely still frozen, though.

Some stories found their way into print about Royal getting the recruiting tip on Bertelsen because of a connection with a Texas dentist and one of Jim’s relatives. And legend had it that food poisoning struck the Longhorns’ dining hall when Bertelsen visited Austin. But he shook off the unsavory reception and went on to become a Texas great and member of the Longhorn Hall of Honor.

As I vividly recall, Bertelsen was the first UT player I ever saw who flashed the “Hook ’em” sign after a touchdown. It has become standard fare in later years, but I remember Daddy and I thinking it was so cool when we saw him do it. It was a quick, unstaged, almost undetected thing. Seemed he was sharing something with fans like us. something unexpected from the gods. He did it several times.

But Bertelsen was the furthest thing from flashy. The man who went on to second-round draft status and five solid seasons — with a Pro Bowl appearance — sharing the LA Rams’ backfield with Lawrence McCutcheon, was most often cited by teammates and media as beyond laconic. The Wisconsin boy played the stoic Texan role well, because it was his nature.

Over the years, I never got the opportunity to interview the publicity-shy Bertelsen. But I’ve heard from the likes of backfield buddies Street, Worster, Koy and Billy Dale that the man was a fine teammate,and consummate player but just never said boo to anyone at all.

When I asked Jay Arnold, a soph starter at DE in Bertelsen’s senior year, about his old teammate,he instantly responded that Bertelsen was a tough, hard runner and blocker who withstood obvious pain from rib injuries and never complained. I asked if Jim was ever kidded about a foreign-sounding Midwestern/”Wis-can-sin” accent. Arnold, who later became an All-SWC defensive back, said he never heard Bertelsen say enough to discern an accent.

Jay Arnold shared a great story he said was told and re-told many times by the late Don Burrisk, a starting RB alongside Bertelsen in the ’71 season.

The Horns stayed Friday nights (before home games) at the Chariot Inn, located in what was once deemed far north Austin, to avoid outside distractions. Bertelsen and the rather loquacious Burrisk were Friday night roomies, and Burrisk began to be self-conscious about the lack of conversation aside from “yes,” “no,” or an occasional “I don’t know” from UT’s biggest star. Burrisk thought perhaps Bertelsen didn’t like him until a few seniors told him that number 35, like a Clint Eastwood spaghetti-western hero, simply didn’t talk much to anybody. So Burrisk took to vacating his Chariot room to visit other teammates and leave Bertelsen to himself until “lights out” time those Friday evenings.

“He never said much. But he sure let his running do the talking for him on gameday.” End of article

James Allen Bertelsen is a former American football player. He played professionally as a running back for five seasons in the National Football League with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football at the University of Texas at Austin and was a highly regarded high school football player in Wisconsin out of Hudson.

Billy Schott

“Moonface” Bertelsen was another one of my big brothers from his freshman year through my playing time at Texas. When I signed with the L.A. Rams, he took good care of me in camp and got me out of all the rookie hazing crap by telling the vets that he was making me clean his room, shine his shoes and so on. We’d get to his room and he’d say, “You don’t need to do all that stupid rookie shit.” He was always very quiet but had a wicked, dry sense of humor that often caught folks off guard. Great guy, great friend…damn good ball player.

Jim Bertelsen is one of those players who was fortunate enough to spend his entire career as a member of the Rams. Although, it was a shame that it only lasted from 1972 to 1976. Still, just like a few other running backs already mentioned on this list, the Rams are glad that he was able to be part of the team. This is especially true when looking at his Pro Bowl season in 1973.

Ken Capps

#35 was my FAVORITE player when I was a kid sitting in the knothole section ! He kindly signed a autograph for me and I thought it was the minute of my life ! RIP Mr. Bertelson – you will never be forgotten and always loved and respected, Hook’em !

Jay Arnold

But Jay shared a great story he said was told and re-told many times by the late Don Burrisk, a starting RB alongside Bertelsen in the ’71 season.

The Horns stayed Friday nights (before home games) at the Chariot Inn, located in what was once deemed far north Austin, to avoid outside distractions. Bertelsen and the rather loquacious Burrisk were Friday night roomies and Burrisk began to be self-conscious about the lack of conversation aside from “yes,” “no” or an occasional “I don’t know” from UT’s biggest star. Burrisk thought perhaps Bertelsen didn’t like him, until a few seniors told him that number 35, like a Clint Eastwood spaghetti-western hero, simply didn’t talk much to anybody

Back in 1972, the Rams used a second-round pick on the former Texas star. After starting seven of 14 games as a rookie, it was in Bertelsen’s sophomore campaign, as mentioned before, that stood out the most from his brief career with Los Angeles.

Normally, a running back finishing with 854 rushing yards with four touchdowns on 206 carries wouldn’t seem like that big of a deal. However, keep in mind the game was much different during the 1970s, meaning these numbers were pretty impressive for Bertelsen.

Only five years in the NFL seems rare for just about any player. It really is a shame the Rams couldn’t have gotten more out of Bertelsen instead of his football career coming to an end after 1976. Then again, at least nothing can take away from the fact that Bertelsen finished his five-year career with 2,466 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Not bad for only half a decade in the league.

Ken Rodriguez 

May 11 at 4:13 PM ·

It’s not often you get to meet your childhood hero. It’s rare that you get to interview him. I got to do both. In the fall of 1981, I sat down with the football player who gave me the greatest thrill of my youth. Jim Bertelsen scored the touchdown that brought Texas back from the brink in the 1969 “Game of the Century” against Arkansas. I learned he passed away the other day at 71. He was a quiet man. The story of his passing included recollections of entire conversations with teammates that contained two words: “hello” and “goodbye.” He gave me a lot more. As a reporter for the Daily Texan, the UT student newspaper, I interviewed Jim at his office in Austin about the Big Shootout, a game Texas rallied to win, 15-14, in front of President Nixon and Billy Graham. We spoke for at least 30 minutes. He filled my notebook. I followed Jim’s career closely — from his sophomore year as a national champion through his Pro Bowl season with the Los Angeles Rams in 1973 all the way through his retirement in 1976. I bought the Game Plan College Football Magazine that featured him on the cover. When his games weren’t televised, I listened to them on radio, pencil in hand, marking each carry, recording yards rushed and touchdowns scored. What I remember most about that long-ago interview was his humility. Jim did not consider himself a great player (though he averaged 7.1 yards a carry in 1969 and made Time Magazine’s All-America team in 1971). But he considered a guy who came after him the best he ever saw: Earl Campbell. Rest in peace, Jim.

This is a highlighted link to Jim’s years as a pro.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10109336639656377&id=29621617

Fellas,
Intriguing to read your tribute to the late Jim Bertelsen, Larry, especially his quiet demeanor and tenure in the pros. You mentioned Bertelsen’s five years with the Rams where he played in the same backfield with Lawrence McCutcheon.
I hope you will accept my apology for running out of bounds on this side note: McCutcheon was also a retiring figure, from Plainview, Texas. Blacks were not yet recruited in the old Southwest Conference, but for SMU, until a year or so later, so Lawrence came out of high school to sign with Colorado State.
While at UTEP, which had racially integrated sports since 1956 (Charles Brown, basketball, Amarillo), my teammates — white, Hispanic and black — and I played vs. Lawrence every year in a Western Athletic Conference game. Lawrence did not have Bob Hayes’ break-away speed, and he didn’t look like OJ Simpson on film. But the sturdy Texan gained respect among my mates for his excellent balance and lower body strength.
I remember one of our linebackers trotting to the sideline grumbling, and shaking his head. “Damn, that guy (McCutcheon) is all helmet and knees.”
Decades later, when I was avoiding starvation while owning a bi-monthly hunting/fishing magazine based in Boerne, my ad salesman from Plainview told me Lawrence showed his best moves when running away from a conversation.

Note the irony. The late Jim Bertelsen and Lawrence McCutcheon, two reticent athletes with similar personalities, physical size, attributes and approach to football — both with Texas roots — would take circuitous routes to connect in the same Rams backfield.