DeBernardi, "Red" (Forrest S.)
Basketball
b. Feb. 31, 1899, Nevada, MO
d. April 29, 1970
An All-American forward at Westminster, MO, College in 1920 and 1921, his freshman and sophomore years, DeBernardi played for the Kansas City Athletic Club in the 1921 AAU tournament and was named to the all-tournament team. In his junior year, he left the college team to play full time for Kansas City the next two seasons and was an all-tournament player both of those years.
DeBernardi joined the Hillyard Chemical Company in St. Joseph, MO, after graduating in 1923. He organized, played for, and coached the company's AAU team that won national championships in 1926 and 1927. He then joined the Cook Paint Company in Kansas City and won AAU titles there in 1928 and 1929.
In 11 AAU tournaments, DeBernardi was named to the all-tournament team seven times at three different positions. He was named the center on an all-time All-American team chosen by the Associated Press in 1938.