Hall of Famer Ray Bernabei Passes Away

ONEONTA, NY (September 7, 2008) – Hall of Famer Ray Bernabei, captain of the 2-time U.S. Open Cup Champion Harmarville (PA) Hurricane team, passed away on September 5^th in Orlando, FL from complications of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was 83 years old and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Class of 1978. Bernabei was also elected to the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) Hall of Fame in 1976.

"Ray was a vital person," Hall of Fame President Steve Baumann said, "and it was a joy to see him during the Induction 2008 weekend. His contributions to soccer as a player, a referee, and as Executive Director of NISOA are legendary in the soccer community. We will miss his stories and his smile immensely."

The Harmarville club rose to national prominence in the early 50s as nationally competitive soccer was waning in the Pittsburgh area. In the 30s and 40s very competitive teams and players had emerged from Pittsburgh's suburbs with Morgan - Strasser advancing to two Open Cup final in those years. The area also produced World Cup and Hall of Fame players like Aldo 'Buff' Donelli (Class of 1954), Nick D'Orio (Class of 1974), and Bob Craddock (Class of 1997). The Hamarville side won U.S. Soccer's National Championship in 1952 and 1956 with Bernabei as captain and playing in the center halfback position, essentially today's central defender in the 3-player back line. As the lynchpin of the defense, he keyed a squad that defeated clubs from larger and more well-known soccer metropolitan areas, including the Philadelphia Nationals 7 - 5 in the 1952 2-leg final and Chicago Schwaben 3 - 2 in 1956 2-leg final.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Ray is scheduled for Friday at 10:00 AM at Our Lady of Victory Church in Harwick, PA. A viewing is being held on Thursday evening at the Charles B. Jarvie Funeral Home at 1607 Pittsburgh Street in Cheswick, PA.

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About the Hall of Fame

The Mission of the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to Celebrate the History, Honor the Heroes,

Inspire the Youth and Preserve the Legacy of Soccer in the United States.

Located in Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a new 30,000 sq.ft., state-of-the-art multimedia museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame tells the story of soccer in America through artifacts, photographs, video and written narratives. The main VideoWall portrays some of the greatest moments and the greatest goals in soccer history as well as live soccer action from the World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. The Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks Zone, including a kid-sized indoor field, where visitors have fun kicking, heading and playing video soccer games. Unique and rare artifacts on exhibit range from The Dewar Cup, the oldest team trophy in U.S. sport, to the Women's World Cup won by the USA in 1999, the uniforms of Pele and Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly's golden shoes, and NASL championship rings. That and so much more are all at the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer Hall of Fame's 61-acre complex boasts the Kicks Hall of Fame Museum Store, a research library, four world-class soccer fields and office/meeting facilities. Visit the Hall of Fame at www.soccerhall.org