Glassford was born in Lancaster, Ohio,[2] and attended the University of Pittsburgh where he played football, lettering from 1934 through 1936.

He earned first-team All-American status at guard in 1936, for the Panthers team that won the 1937 Rose Bowl.

He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and graduated in 1937 with a degree in business administration.

Glassford coached three All-Americans in Tom Novak (1949), Bobby Reynolds (1950), and Jerry Minnick (1952).

[6] Glassford died in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 102, and was at that time the oldest still-living former pro player, and one of only seven total to have lived a century.