Raymond Bernabei

Playing for his father Leo Bernabi in the early years of his career he led the scoring as a center forward for the Indianola Indians, before going on to play for the famous Harmarville Hurricanes from 1949 to 1963 as a defender.

Personal Information Class of 1978 Born: November 26, 1925 -  Indianola, PA Position: Full Back

He captained the Harmarville teams that appeared in five national finals in the early 1950s. Led by Bernabei Harmarville Hurricanes won the National Open Cup in 1952 and 1956 and were defeated in the final in 1953. Harmarville also reached the U.S. Amateur Cup Finals in 1950 and 1951 but finished on the losing side. Bernabei played in ten West Penn finals and was named to eleven all-star teams between 1949-60. He refereed at high school and the college and professional levels for more than 40 years, including two NCAA finals. President and executive director of the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association, he received degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh and Western Reserve University of Ohio and for many years served as Executive Director of Bucks County Schools in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Received the NISOA Honor Award in 1975 and was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Hall of Fame.

Where Are They Now: Ray predicted in 1952 that it would take fifty years for soccer to become popular in the United States. With the U.S. Men’s National Team historic quarterfinal finish at the FIFA World Cup in 2002, Bernabei was right on. more>