He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17 and served on a transport ship during World War I.

After the war, he attended St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, where he played baseball, basketball, and football.

[1][2] He first played semipro football as the center and drop kicker for the Moline Indians in 1922.

After his playing career ended, he joined his brothers, Walter and August, in the garage business in Kewanee, Illinois.

He became seriously ill in 1929, reportedly following a football injury, and lost vision in his left eye.