[2] Rhiel gained early recognition as a player for a semi-professional football team associated with St. Edward's Church, in Youngstown.

[2] After graduating from Newberry College, in South Carolina, where he was a star football player, Rhiel joined an Atlanta farm team, where he took the position of second baseman.

[1] In July of that year, The New York Times reported that Rhiel smacked a seventh-inning home run in a match with the Pittsburgh Pirates that gave the Robins a 10–7 victory.

[1] He played briefly for the minor league Toledo Mud Hens before ending his professional baseball career.

[4] After ending his career as a ballplayer, Rhiel returned to his native Ohio, where he settled in the city of Warren.