Overton attended Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach, California, where he was an all-Avocado League selection in three sports: football, basketball, and track and field.
[1][2] He was the 1958 Avocado League player of the year in football and was the senior class president.
[9][10] Overton was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 15th round (202nd overall) of the 1963 NFL draft.
In 1964, he was placed on the injured reserve list with a broken leg he suffered in a skiing accident .
[12] In 1961, Overton married Diane Carol Chase, a Casper, Wyoming, native and fellow sophomore at the University of Utah.