Though it is rare to encounter brothers playing Division 1 football on the
same team, much less on the field at the same time, it came as no surprise to
the Bergins when they finally got between the lines together in Northwestern
purple. Joe and Chris, separated by two years, are the oldest of four brothers
born and raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, by Joseph and his wife Nicola.
Despite his collegiate success, their father never pushed any of his boys to
play football and instead allowed them to arrive at the sport on their own.
"Football has to be something you really want to do," said Joseph. "I've never
seen a positive outcome from parents pushing their kids to do something
they don't want to do."
Raised on a half-acre farm, the Bergins quickly discovered they preferred to
play outside rather than lounge in front of a television set. Inevitably, the four
boys began to transform everyday events into contests, which ranged from
backyard games and neighborhood activities to more mundane tasks such
as mowing grass, shoveling snow and even eating dinner. Despite the litter of
rambunctious, athletic, competitive boys rampaging through her household,
Nicola said her sons were kept in line by their strict father and remained well-
behaved kids as they got older.
BERGIN BROTHERS
