ASU legend Mike Bercovici takes on larger role with Kingsbury's Arizona Cardinals staff

Some might say Mike Bercovici is living his best life.

Just 29 years old, the former Arizona State quarterback recently got a promotion within the Arizona Cardinals coaching staff, taking on a larger role with the offense and working with the team's tight ends after two previous seasons as a coaching assistant.

He gets to work with head coach Kliff Kingsbury, another former college quarterback, in a creative offense scheming ways to befuddle opposing defenses. Kingsbury, in fact, is why Bercovici decided coaching was for him a little more than two years ago.

"A big reason why I decided to start coaching was because of him," Bercovici said. "I've always been somebody that looked into role models, and he's somebody that I mean, if you play quarterback and you start coaching, he epitomizes cool and swag and all that stuff. So it's been awesome to work with him."

And Bercovici, the man who threw the 46-yard "Jael Mary" as time expired to former teammate Jaelen Strong to send ASU to an upset of USC in Los Angeles in 2014, is to this day well known and celebrated around the Phoenix metro area.

Just ask Kingsbury.

"We call him the local celebrity. Because he's like the Pied Piper around here. He obviously has the ASU status which carries him a long way in Scottsdale, but he's got a great football mind," Kingsbury said, throwing some good-natured shade at his assistant. "I think the biggest thing I noticed really was just the rapport of the players. You know, they respect how he carries himself. I think he's done a good job building relationships within the building and the players, and they know he works his tail off and they know how he coaches and how much work he puts into it. So there's a level of trust he's built with the guys. And so anytime you have a young guy and make that impression, it's a big deal."

Bercovici heard the comments from Kingsbury, made Monday morning, and could only smile.

"He's the best," Bercovici said.

The play to beat USC will always be remembered as maybe the greatest single play in ASU football history. And the fans don't forget a hero's face.

"I guess I never realized the impact ... as we get closer to 10 years down the road. I mean it's kind of crazy, but there's definitely certain places that you go in the city of Scottsdale where there's a majority of Arizona State people there and what not," Bercovici said. "There's some really good people in this community. That's what I do love about being here in the city that I played football at. It makes it fun to go around."

After stints on the practice squads of the former San Diego Chargers and Cardinals in 2016 and 2017, Bercovici added to his football resumé in 2019 as quarterback of the San Diego Fleet of the one-time Alliance of American Football. He played a game at Sun Devil Stadium against Arizona's team, the Hotshots.

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Mike Martz, a former Super Bowl champion as offensive coordinator with the St. Louis Rams, was his head coach in San Diego.

Bercovici said he has a lot of respect for players who take the opportunity to play in other football leagues, from the AAF to the USFL to the soon-to-be restarted XFL.

"That opportunity that I had in San Diego with the Fleet was unprecedented. Like I still have some pretty amazing memories," Bercovici said. "And obviously, the way that it ended was unique and some of the things that happened, but I mean, yeah, it was fun. Mike Martz taught me a lot about football."

When former Cardinals assistant Jim Dray was hired by the Chicago Bears earlier this year, an opportunity to work with the tight ends came open. It's what Bercovici is doing now, and the players he works with appreciate him.

"I love Berco. Obviously, Berco being with the quarterbacks last year, and being a quarterback, he knows the offense inside out," Cardinals tight end Maxx Williams said. "So it's great having him in our room now because you get the whole new perspective on what they're thinking what we should be thinking, and it makes him a more well-rounded coach, too, because now he's getting more into the tight ends and the blocking and knowing more of that stuff."

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Someone who knows Bercovici pointed out to the Southern California native that he's spent more than a third of his life in Arizona. It gave him pause to reflect on his years in the area, from college to adulthood and along the way, a season-long stint with Herm Edwards' ASU staff and a job with the Cardinals.

In observing how Kingsbury goes about his work as head coach, Bercovici makes note of how well the head coach treats others, including him and his wife. He feels Kingsbury isn't just his boss but a good friend, one to look up to.

Someday, perhaps, the experience could lead to a high-level job in coaching in the NFL.

"I always say my goal right now is to stay where my feet are," Bercovici said. "But I mean, the goal is to be like Coach Kingsbury. He's my role model. He's who I aspire to be."

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM. 

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU legend Mike Bercovici takes on larger role with Cardinals staff