Although Dick DeVenzio was born in 1949 in
nearby Coraopolis, he was the ‘outsider’ on the 1967 Ambridge High
School undefeated (27-0) basketball team with
Frank
Kaufman,
Walt
Ostrowski Jr, and
Denny Wuycick that won the state championship and the
reputation of being the best cage team in Bridger history. Dick came
to Ambridge when his father,
Chuck DeVenzio, was named head
hoops coach. Young Dick quickly established himself as the scoring
and playmaking star of the team and is considered by many Bridger
fans to be the best basketball player in the history of the school.
Dick earned first
team honors on the 1967 Parade High School All American Squad.
He played his college basketball on the Duke University
team, where he was named All Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the
Year in 1969 and was named to the Top Five Academic All American
team in 1971. Too small for an American professional career,
Dick played and coached professional basketball in Europe and
the Caribbean from 1972 to 1980 and in his travels learned five
languages for his coaching and camps. Dick was director of
Funnel Corporation Basketball Camp in North Carolina from 1971 to
1983 and of the Pre Stars Invitational All Star Camp in 1982 and
1983. Dick also founded the
Point Guard College to train basketball players and coaches. Dick published
seven basketball books and wrote a
syndicated column titled “Inside Stuff” that was carried by 32
newspapers. Dick died at age 52 from colon cancer, on May 19, 2001.
Although Dick DeVenzio was born in 1949 in
nearby Coraopolis, he was the ‘outsider’ on the 1967 Ambridge High
School undefeated (27-0) basketball team with