"Tuffy" as he was known by his teammates, was a graduate of Deshler High School in 1955. He lettered four years as a Tiger in football, basketball and baseball. He was named to the All Tri-Cities Team in football. Following high school he went on to Florence State where he lettered four years in football. He was selected as a member of the First Forty Years Offensive Team as a center in 1968 and a member of the Legends of the Fall in 1998. He also played Semi-Pro Football for the Huntsville Rockets.