Francis "Bernie" Kish could be recognized for his greatness on many different levels. His ability to lead has never been questioned and he has proven his abilities and his strengths on more than one occasion. From the military to his position with the College Football Hall of Fame as the coveted executive director, Bernie Kish has lived an active life full of accomplishments.

"Bernie" Kish spent his youth in the western part of Pennsylvania. In 1960, Kish earned his education degree and would later earn a Masters in Public Administration in 1973 from the University of Missouri in Kansas City. Kish didn’t stop there. With success and motivation always driving him, Kish earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1998.

While Kish was a college student, he was in the ROTC program. After graduation, his career led him to active duty in Germany. Staying twenty-nine years in the Army, Kish’s original plans of a three year tour were expanded due to his profound love of the military.

After Francis Kish retired from the military, he didn’t stop. He pursued a position that more than four hundred candidates wanted and when he was named the executive director of the College Football Hall of Fame, he went right to work. Under his watchful eye and guidance, the College Football Hall of Fame received over 610,000 visitors from around the world including people from forty different countries and all fifty states.

Now more well known as a media personality and a highly sought after speaker, Francis "Bernie" Kish is an author who resides in South Bend, Indiana with his wife Judy. In 1999, Kish was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame.