Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Forester graduated from its Woodrow Wilson High School in 1949 at age 16.
He was an all-city, all-state, and all-Southern fullback / linebacker for the Wildcats and played in the 1949 Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star Game.
Forester played college football in Dallas at SMU and was named All-Southwest Conference (SWC) linebacker in 1951 and 1952.
[1] Forester played under four head coaches in Green Bay; the last was Vince Lombardi, who arrived in his seventh season in 1959.
[5] Forester moved back to Dallas and ran a successful sporting goods business for decades before his retirement.