[1] He joined the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, serving as a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot and flying missions over Nazi-occupied Europe.

[1] When Huerta's aircraft was shot down over Yugoslavia, he evaded capture by German military units, and with the assistance of Yugoslav partisans, he was able to safely return to his base.

[6][7] Huerta was a successful insurance agent for a year following his departure from the coaches ranks, but he didn't enjoy it.

[7] For the last sixteen years of his life, he was the head of the MacDonald Training Center, which assisted in the rehabilitation of handicapped children and young persons.

[1] He was the founder of the "Football Players for Crippled Children" program, and was a member of the President's Council on Endowment for the Handicapped.

Thousands of people attended his funeral at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa.

[8] In commemoration of his service to the Tampa Bay community and its youth, the football field at his high school alma mater, Hillsborough High School, is named Marcelino "Chelo" Huerta Field in his honor in 1987.