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Suffolk Sports Hall of Famer Bernie Wyatt Dies at 84

Suffolk Sports Hall of Famer, Amityville legend and longtime college football coach Bernie Wyatt died on April 1. He was 84.

Wyatt played at Amityville and scored 170 points at tailback in 1956, which broke Jim Brown’s scoring record for Long Island high schools. He excelled in basketball and track as well and graduated in 1957.

He was recruited to the University of Iowa by an assistant coach for the Hawkeyes, Whitey Piro, another native of Long Island.  Wyatt was a part of the Rose Bowl team in 1959, where Iowa defeated the University of California 38-12.

Wyatt switched positions to defensive back and was voted the team’s most valuable player in 1960. In 1961 he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and in 1962 by Houston of the AFL.

He went on to coach at various high schools in Iowa City and Lindenhurst and returned to Iowa as an assistant coach in 1974 where he was a big factor in the Hawkeyes’ recruiting of quality players from the New York and New Jersey area. He also coached at