Gonzalo Bearman was born in Argentina and arrived in Oneida in 1983, a time when there was no youth soccer program or AYSO. Coming from a nation where soccer is revered, it was hard to believe that Oneida did not have a youth program. He credits adults in the community like Leo Matzke for being instrumental in starting a youth program, and he participated in the first year of its existence in Oneida. Gonzalo’s talent as a goalkeeper was evident as a 7th grader. He was placed on the JV squad and never looked back as a dominant goalkeeper in the region. He became a varsity starter as a 9th grader in 1985 and wanted to especially thank coach Otis Fuller as his goalie coach and head coach Tom Maher for giving him his opportunity after senior Kyle Koester took a summer injury playing baseball.
Gonzalo went on to become a TVL All-Star all four years as a varsity starter (‘85, ‘86, ‘87, and ‘88). He was named CNY Player of the Year by the Syracuse Herald American newspaper in 1988. He was also recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as All-State and All-East in 1988. He tried out for the Empire State Games and made the scholastic team in 1987 and 1988 and then again in the Open Division in 1990 and 1992. The Central Team won the silver medal in 1990.
Gonzalo attended Colgate Seminar as an upperclassman at OHS and became interested in playing Division I varsity soccer for the Red Raiders. To him it made perfect sense… attend a competitive soccer program and receive a top-rated education. Gonzalo received accolades as a starter for the Red Raiders as a Patriot League Academic Achievement Honor Roll recipient in 1990, 1991, and 1992. He especially remembers his senior year when the team earned its first Patriot League Championship in 1992. The team was 13-4-3 and defeated Army 1-0 in an OT thriller in the playoffs. The team photo from 1992 is still framed and hangs in his office even today. Gonzalo was especially taken with the incredible leap in competition from playing in the TVL to the Patriot League. Colgate players such as Bobby Newman (all-time leader in Colgate history with 85 points) and Rob Stone (Fox Sports commentator) made a tremendous impact on Gonzalo as a college player. Every player seemed so talented that it made everyone around them that much better.
Gonzalo followed his time at Colgate with medical school at SUNY at Buffalo. His residency was at Cornell University Medical College, and he is currently the Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Virginia Commonwealth University. His career has been nothing but impressive. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, edited multiple books and is the primary editor of three medical textbooks. Following his medical degree, Gonzalo earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at Columbia University and is recognized a Fellow of various professional societies including the American College of Physicians (FACP), Infectious Diseases Society of America (FIDSA) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (FSHEA). He was also involved as a medical consultant during the COVID outbreak for VCU and the Atlantic-10 Athletic Conference.
Dr. Bearman currently plays for a club team in Richmond, VA known as the Richmond City Football Club (RCFC). He joined the team in 2003 and has played over 1000 games with the team in a 20-year period. He stated that, “the four years at OHS had a greater impact on me as a person than the 20 years of playing after OHS. The friends made through OHS soccer are lifelong, like brothers. The lessons learned in soccer have carried over to my professional life such as grit, perseverance, and teamwork.”
He currently resides in Richmond with his wife Donna of over 16 years. He would also like to thank his parents for the constant encouragement and support of playing soccer for much of his life.