Skip to main content

Bristol Central High School

Bernie O'Keefe

Inducted 2016

Cross Country Coach, Teacher

Bernie O'Keefe in a suit and tie holds a plaque commemorating his induction into the Bristol Sports Hall of Fame.

He earned varsity letters in cross country and track his senior year at Bristol High in 1955, while also serving as manager for the basketball team for four seasons, soccer for three and baseball for two.He earned a managerial jacket his senior year.

He then went to UConn where he competed in cross country and track for two and a half years. He returned to Bristol to coach cross country and track at Bristol Central between 1961 and 1970.  In 1966 he became the first coach to win a CCIL title for the school with the cross country team.

He later captured the championships in both 1968 and 1969. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Bristol Sports Hall of Fame, where he chairs the organization’s Scholar-Athlete Committee.

He has been a member of Copper Ledges Tennis Association and has served on its board of directors as secretary. He has been active in a number of non-sports organizations in Bristol as well.