He played halfback and quarterback for the University of Illinois from 1914 to 1916 and helped the school to its first national football championship and consecutive undefeated seasons in 1914 and 1915.

He was also the coach and owner of the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast professional football league founded in 1926.

[2] Macomber played on three consecutive undefeated teams at Oak Park and once kicked 16 extra points in a single game against Chicago Englewood in October 1911.

[3] At Oak Park, Macomber set state high school records for most extra points in a career (114 from 1910 to 1912) and a season (55 in 1912).

Oak Park won the game 17–0, and the Chicago Daily News reported: "The winners outclassed the eastern men using open style of football.

At the end of the 1916 season, Macomber was selected by Walter Eckersall as the All-Big Ten Conference quarterback.

It was largely through his efforts, offensively and defensively, that the Illini have held a commanding position in Conference football for the last three years.

Zuppke and Macomber combined for five undefeated seasons, three at Oak Park High School (1910–1912) and two at Illinois (1914–1915).

Late in the 1916 season, Illinois was scheduled to play the west's top team, the University of Minnesota.

[11] Before the game, sports writer Ring Lardner published a letter to Zuppke urging him to stay in Chicago and see a play.

He waited a bit for full attention and said, 'If you are going to be slaughtered tomorrow, you might as well break training and have a good time tonight.'

"[11] NEA sports editor Harry Grayson noted that Macomber had been "prominent in college dramatics," and wrote that he "never acted more than during the last quarter of Illinons' astounding 14–9 victory over Minnesota in 1916.

"[11] According to Grayson's account, "Macomber untied his shoes, broke the string on his shoulder pads, lost his headgear, miscalled signals —- anything to kill time.

[11] In 1917, he played halfback for a Youngstown team that included multiple college all-stars, including Tommy Hughitt of Michigan, Tom Gormley of Georgetown, and Freeman Fitzgerald, Bill Kelleher, Gil Ward and Stan Cofall of Notre Dame.

[16] In 1926, Macomber was the owner, coach, and director of the Oakland Oaks in the newly formed Pacific Coast Professional Football League.

Macomber died in Oregon in 1971 and was posthumously inducted the following year into the College Football Hall of Fame.