Casey, 78; hit in NFL & ‘Nerds’

BERNIE CASEY, known best for roles in “Revenge of the Nerds” and “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” has died. He was 78. Casey spent his last few days in a Los Angeles hospital and died Tuesday surrounded by loved ones, according to TMZ.

The West Virginia native was a standout athlete at Bowling Green State University, where he was an All-American track and field athlete. He was a first-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 1961.

Casey (photo inset) spent six years in San Francisco and two with the Los Angeles Rams, for whom he caught the winning touchdown pass with 30 seconds left against the Green Bay Packers in the penultimate game of the 1967 regular season.

The Packers would later defeat Los Angeles in the playoffs, but Casey recorded the Rams’ lone touchdown. He made one Pro Bowl, in 1967, before leaving the NFL a year later. Over eight seasons, he tallied 5,444 yards over more than 350 receptions for 40 total touchdowns.

In 1969, he made his acting debut in “Guns of the Magnificent Seven,” the sequel to the 1960 western “The Magnificent Seven.”

He also played the Chicago Bears’ team captain in the 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song” and starred as Mike Harris on “Harris and Company,” the first weekly drama series that focused on a black family.

Among Casey’s more famous roles were U.N. Jefferson, the head of the Lambda Lambda Lambda fraternity, in “Revenge of the Nerds,” John Slade in “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” and Mr. Ryan in “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”

In 1983, he appeared in the James Bond movie “Never Say Never Again” as CIA agent Felix Leiter. He also had a role in Martin Scorsese’s “Boxcar Bertha” in 1972.

Recent roles included the 2006 movie “When I Find the Ocean” with Lee Majors, “Babylon 5” in 1995 and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” in 1994.

Casey, who also painted in his free time, published a book of poems titled “Look at The People" in 1969.