New York Giants The
New York Giants selected Bercich in the fifteenth round (179th overall) of the
1959 NFL draft with a future draft pick, which allowed the team to draft him before his college eligibility was over. He was also drafted by the
Los Angeles Chargers in the second round of the
1960 AFL draft. He was released on September 5,
1960.
Dallas Cowboys On September 8,
1960, he was claimed off waivers by the
Dallas Cowboys. He became the first starter (6 starts) at
strong safety in franchise history, while splitting time with
Gary Wisener (3 starts) and
Fred Doelling (3 starts). He finished with 46 tackles (19 solo), 2 interceptions and 11 passes defensed. In
1961, he suffered a concussion during the seventh game against the
New York Giants and did not play another contest in the season. The next year, he missed the pre-season with a knee injury and was released before the start of the
1962 season. ==Personal life and death==