He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, finishing second in the nation in scoring during his senior season in 1969.
[1] Standing 5 feet 5+1⁄2 inches (1.66 metres) and weighing in at 170 pounds (77.1 kg), Herron was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round (143rd overall) of the 1970 NFL draft,[2] but joined the Canadian Football League out of college.
[citation needed] In 1972, while playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he won the Eddie James Memorial Trophy for being the leading rusher in the CFL's West Division.
[citation needed] The Blue Bombers released him as a result of a drug arrest in May 1972.
[7][8] The Patriots released him midway through the following season, with coach Chuck Fairbanks claiming the release was the result of disappointment with Herron's performance that season and with a late night party Herron threw for teammate Leon Gray.