[1] He attended preparatory school at the Meyerstown Academy and then played center for two seasons for the Lehigh University football team.

In September 1892, The New York Times reported: "Among the promising new men who are practicing are Balliet, centre rush of last year's Lehigh team.

During the 1894 season, Balliet's Purdue squad defeated Amos Alonzo Stagg's Chicago Maroons and outscored opponents by a collective score of 177 to 42.

[15] He led the 1901 Purdue team to a 4–4–1 record, but finished the season with consecutive losses to Notre Dame, Illinois, and Northwestern.

In March 1902, the Indianapolis News reported, "He is known to be a good coach, but he turned out a loser last year and Purdue wants a change.

In early October, he joined the football team at Washington and Lee University to assist physical director, Bill Wertenbaker.