Katz attended The Citadel in Charleston, SC and played football for the Bulldogs before transferring to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a lineman for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football team from 1962 to 1964.
Katz was a third-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1963.
[1] He was also President of Sigma Nu Fraternity (Epsilon Zeta Chapter) at Florida.
Katz graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in education in 1965, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Distinguished Letter Winner" in 2008.
[2][3] In 1974, Katz founded the Panama Jack Company,[4] an international purveyor of suncare, beachwear and tropical lifestyle products.