Dale Berman

Class of 1951 Dale Berman participated in football, track, and baseball at Ottawa Township High School. In football, he was selected All-Conference, All-State, and All-America Honorable Mention after his senior season. Dale Berman was recruited to play football by Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Northwestern from the Big Ten Conference, as well as by Arkansas University and Colorado College. He selected Northwestern University, playing two years there. He was later drafted into the Army and upon his discharge he enrolled at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and joined the football team as a 24 year old junior on the GI Bill. In 1958 he was selected All-Conference Second Team, and Most Valuable Player by his teammates. After the 1959 season he was named All-Conference First Team and honorary captain by his teammates. After graduation from NIU Dale Berman began his business career with IBM, while continuing to play football with the Elmhurst Travelers in the Bi-State Professional League, there being selected to the AllLeague All-Stars. In 1999 he was selected to the Northern Illinois University All-Century Team, and in 2011 inducted into the Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame. His business career included employment at IBM, Xerox, and BRK-First Alert, retiring there as Director of Information Systems. He has served in a number of civic and organization leadership capacities, many in the North Aurora area, including among others: the NIU Alumni Association Board; North Aurora Jaycees board member, president, and Jaycee of the year; Lion Club member, president, Lion of the year, Melvin Jones Fellow, and Illinois Lions Fellow; Fox Valley Park District board member and president; DuKane Valley Council board member; Waubonsee Community College Foundation board member; Aurora Area Convention and Visitor Bureau board member and chairman; Provena Mercy Hospital board member and chairman; and for the village of North Aurora in numerous capacities, now in his second term as Village President.