[1] A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, he played football at the University of Notre Dame in the 1920s under coach Knute Rockne, and competed in track and field as a javelin thrower.

[1] Oberst, who was listed at 6' 5" (1.96 m) and 203 lbs (92 kg),[3] was a right tackle for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 1920, 1922, and 1923, wearing uniform No.

As the possibly apocryphal story goes, Oberst was walking by a Notre Dame track and field practice one day when a javelin landed nearby.

[5] Oberst had a disappointing performance at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Cambridge, Massachusetts, finishing in 5th place with a throw of 180' 3" (54.94 m).

In Paris, Oberst's throw of 58.35 m won him the bronze medal, behind the defending Olympic champion, Jonni Myyrä of Finland (62.96 m) and Gunnar Lindström of Sweden (60.92 m).

[1] Oberst's Notre Dame football teammate Tom Lieb also made the 1924 U.S. Olympic team, in the discus throw, and won the bronze medal.

During that time period, John Carroll's football halfback was future Hall of Famer Don Shula.