Vest was also the head basketball coach at Southwest Texas State from 1939 to 1942, tallying a mark of 36–29.
He attended Southwest Texas State Teachers College, where he played football, basketball, and baseball and ran track before graduating in 1929 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry.
Vest began his coaching career in Donna, Texas, mentoring the junior high school football team.
[1][2] Vest enlisted in the United States Army on July 13, 1942, and then attended Officer Candidate School.
He served during World War II in Karachi, reaching the rank of major before his discharge in 1946.