Harrison Bernstein joined the coaching staff for the 2017 season. Bernstein, who previously worked in the sports performance department at Georgetown, will work the team's defensive backs under defensive coordinator Kevin Doherty.
Bernstein comes to the Hilltop after most recently serving as the associate head coach and defensive backs coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College. He also served as the director of strength and conditioning during his one year with the Bobcats.
Prior to West Virginia Wesleyan, Bernstein was an assistant coach for Del Smith at Bridgewater College (safeties) in 2015, and at Bishop O'Connell High School (secondary, special teams) in 2014.
He spent four seasons as the defensive backs coach at Gonzaga College High School, helping lead the Eagles to a pair of playoff appearances. During his time at Gonzaga, Bernstein coached five players to NCAA Division 1A full scholarships.
Before joining the Gonzaga coaching staff, Bernstein served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Redskins from 2007-10. While with the Redskins, Bernstein designed and implemented speed and strength programs for all positions, assisted with linebacker individual periods of practice, coached 10 different players to the Pro Bowl and studied defensive strategy under Gregg Williams, Jerry Gray, Steve Jackson, Greg Blache, and Kirk Olivadotti. He developed a corrective exercise and injury prevention program that steadily reduced injuries over three years culminating in zero non-contact soft tissue injuries in the 2009 season.
Bernstein began his coaching career at his high school alma mater, Fair Lawn High School, in New Jersey. He worked primarily with the defense and helped lead the Cutters to the playoffs in his first season. While coaching at Fair Lawn, Bernstein became certified as a strength and conditioning specialist from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He also holds a certification in sports nutrition from the International Society of Sports Nutrition. This led to Bernstein becoming the assistant managing director for the Parisi Speed School and then later co-creating the strength and conditioning curriculum at Georgetown.
Outside of coaching, Bernstein is the founder and executive director of Soldiers to Sidelines, an organization that helps military members become expert coaches. He has also been contracted to provide movement analysis for Army Special Forces Underwater Operations, volunteered as an assistant in an fMRI study on resilience among military elite, and taught at George Washington University.
Berrnstein played defensive back at Johns Hopkins University where he was a three-time All-American, the only three-time honoree in school history, and was the 1997 Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year, earning first team honors in each of his final three years. He was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame in March 2014.
