Dave Bergman’s generous spirit showed itself early in his life, according to younger brother Jeff Bergman.
The family’s oldest child, Steve Bergman, was born with special needs. The first thing Dave Bergman did after school was take care of his older brother of 11 months.
“Before Dave, who was about 8 years old at the time, could go out and play baseball, he had to walk his brother around the block,” Jeff Bergman said.
Dave Bergman died Feb. 2 after a three-year fight against cancer. He was 61. Dave Bergman was born in Evanston and graduated from Maine South in 1971. He is survived by his wife Cathy Bergman and their children Troy, Bria and Erika.
While most people knew Dave Bergman for his 17-year career as a major league baseball player, Jeff Bergman said he will remember his brother for what he did off the field.
“He was as well-known as being a good citizen,” Jeff Bergman said. “That meant more to him than all the accolades he received as a baseball player.”
Drafted by the Chicago Cubs out of Maine South, Dave Bergman instead decided to attend Illinois State, where he earned All-American honors. Dave Bergman’s No. 12 jersey was retired by the Redbirds.
Following his college career, Dave Bergman was selected by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1974 draft. He played for four big league teams, most notably the Detroit Tigers, a team he helped win the 1984 World Series.
Dave Bergman retired from baseball in 1992 as a career .258 hitter. He was lauded for his discipline in the batter’s box, which enabled him to finish with fewer strikeouts (347) than walks (380) in 3,114 plate appearances.
“He was the epitome of a kid who dreams about being a pro ballplayer and works his butt off to get there,” said Bob Beauprez, a former assistant baseball coach at Maine South. “There was no one more ambitious than Dave. He was very devoted and always thinking about ways he could improve.”
After his playing career ended, Dave Bergman made his home and raised his family in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. He worked as an investment manager.
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He also was involved in C.A.T.C.H., a charity for children founded by former Tigers manager Sparky Anderson, and the Joe Niekro Foundation, an organization that raises awareness for brain aneurysms. Joe Niekro, who died in 2006 at 61 from a brain aneurysm, was Dave Bergman’s best friend.
Dave Bergman founded the Grosse Pointe Redbirds, a youth baseball club that served the Detroit area. As much as Dave Bergman taught the skills to be a successful baseball player, Jeff Bergman said his brother preached the value of an education.
“He used to say one percent of high school players go on to play Division I baseball and one percent of those get drafted and one percent of those actually make it to the major leagues,” Jeff Bergman said. “He always talked about making a plan for the day your playing career ended. He changed kids from mediocre students to great students.”
Jeff Bergman, who was 10 years younger than Dave Bergman, said he remembered his brother calling him on the phone to check on his school work.
“He would ask about my grades,” Jeff Bergman said. “He was instrumental in keeping me focused. He was like a second father to me.”
Although Dave Bergman’s adult roots were planted in the Detroit area, his heart remained in Park Ridge, according to Jeff Bergman.
“He absolutely loved Park Ridge, and he loved Maine South,” said Jeff Bergman, who now lives in Arlington Heights. “He came back when he could.
“It was all about timing. If he wasn’t so engrossed in all the things he did in Grosse Pointe, he would have come back. But his kids were growing up and in school, and he was involved in so many things himself.”
One of Dave Bergman’s last visits to Park Ridge came in 2008 when Maine South retired his No. 12. He spoke to several hundred people associated with the school’s baseball program, Maine South coach Bill Milano said.
“He had the right message to our kids,” Milano said. “He talked about being a student and person first and an athlete second. He talked about treating people the right way. He said it was a privilege to be an athlete.”
Beauprez, who coached Dave Bergman on Maine South’s sophomore team, said he will be “sorely missed.”
In the course of reading all of the tributes to his brother, Jeff Bergman said he was floored by how many lives Dave Bergman positively influenced.
“I just sat there and said, ‘Oh, my God,’ ” Jeff Bergman said. “I did not realize the impact he made on so many people until he passed. It was vast. It was tough to lose him.”
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