Bernard Clark, Jr., enters his eighth season has head coach of the Robert Morris Football program in 2025. Clark, a native of Tampa, Fla., was named the third head coach in program history on Dec. 19, 2017.
Clark led the Colonials back into the Northeast Conference in 2024. RMU had a successful campaign, going 7-5 overall and 4-2 in NEC play. The Colonials won their last six home games and was a perfect 3-0 against NEC teams. Nine RMU student-athletes were selected to the Northeast Conference All-Conference teams and 15 to Phil Steele’s All-NEC Team. Individually, Luke Beltavski was voted NEC Football Fall Scholar-Athlete of the Year, named to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) 27th Annual Academic All-Star Team and, along with teammate William Barber, to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team.
This was the first time that RMU played in the NEC since 2019 where Clark presided over one of the best turnarounds in program history. The Colonials won seven of its final nine games of the year to record their first winning season since 2010 with an overall mark of 7-5. Included in that record was a ledger of 6-1 in NEC play as RMU was second in the league standings, their highest finish in nine seasons.
For those efforts, Clark was tabbed the 2019 NEC Co-Coach of the Year and was also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, one of the STATS NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) legacy awards and given annually to the NCAA FCS Coach of the Year.
RMU also claimed the 2019 NEC Sportsmanship Award for the first time in program history. The award is designed to acknowledge the team in each conference sport that, in the opinion of its peers, most closely demonstrates good sportsmanship based on the NEC Principles of Sportsmanship and Standards of Conduct.
A total of eight Colonials earned All-NEC honors in 2019 under Clark’s tutelage, the most since nine Colonials were honored in 2013. This was up from three in his first year on the sidelines.
Among the talent coached by Clark is Matthew Gonzalez, who was named to the 2019 STATS FCS All-American Third Team, a year after being tabbed to the 2018 Associated Press FCS All-American Second Team. He became the first student-athlete in program history to earn NCAA FCS All-American accolades in consecutive years.
Clark was a steady presence in RMU’s time in the Big South Conference. Over four seasons, a total of nine student-athletes have earned All-Big South honors. RMU was also awarded the 2021 Big South Team Sportsmanship Award under Clark's leadership, which is voted on by Big South student-athletes and awarded at the end of each competition seasons.
Former defensive back Tavin Harville, became the eighth member of the Colonials to sign an NFL deal and the first under Clark when he signed a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in April of 2022.
Prior to RMU, Clark spent four years at the UAlbany (2014-17), where he served as the assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Great Danes before being promoted to associate head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2015.While at Albany, Clark’s defense ranked ninth and finished in the top 20 in eight different categories the NCAA FCS in 2017. In his first season at Albany, Clark’s defense led the nation in turnover margin (+1.25) and fumble recoveries (20).
Clark began his collegiate coaching career at James Madison in 1998. He spent two seasons with the Dukes coaching the defensive ends before moving to Liberty, where he spent four years with the Flames from 2000-03, tutoring the linebackers and special teams.
In 2004, Clark began the first of two stints with Florida International. He served as the defensive coordinator for the 2004 and 2005 seasons before joining the coaching staff at the South Florida in 2006, coaching the defensive line. Clark returned to FIU as a defensive assistant in 2007 and 2008 and also served as defensive coordinator for Hampton University in 2009 and linebackers coach at Pitt in 2010. While an assistant with the Panthers, Clark helped the defense finish in the top 10 of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). In 2011, Clark coached the linebackers at Colorado State before returning to Hampton to serve as defensive line coach in 2013 and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach 2014.
As a player, Clark was a key contributor at linebacker for the University of Miami as they claimed national championships in 1987 and 1989.
As a sophomore, Clark was named the MVP of the 1988 Orange Bowl after helping lead Miami to a 20-14 victory over Oklahoma and the national title. Clark finished with 14 tackles against the Sooners, including 12 solo takedowns. That game featured Jimmy Johnson as head coach of the Hurricanes and Barry Switzer as the head coach of the Sooners. The contest marked the only time opposing head coaches from a college national championship game each later served as head coach of the same professional football team. Both Johnson and Switzer won the Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys.
A third-round pick by Cincinnati in the 1990 NFL Draft, Clark played two seasons with the Bengals as well as one year with the Seattle Seahawks. He also spent time in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Orlando Predators.
Clark was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022, joining Dewey Selmon (Oklahoma) and Grant Wistrom (Nebraska). Inductees exemplify the tradition of the Orange Bowl, which has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and has nine decades of historical impact on the college football landscape.
In 2022, Clark’s first book was published –
“Ascension: A Coach's Guide to Becoming a Better Man, Father, and Husband”.
Clark and his wife, Tammy, reside in Clinton, Pa.
