[2] He played basketball and football at Oshkosh High School and served in the United States Marine Corps during World War I.

[3] After being discharged from the military, Below attended the Oshkosh State Teachers College (later renamed the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh) where he played football and basketball.

[5] At the end of the 1922 season, Below was selected as a first-team All-American by the New York Tribune[6] and Norman E. Brown,[7] a third-team All-American by Walter Camp,[8] and a first-team All-Western player by Walter Eckersall of the Chicago Daily Tribune.

He concluded his class work at the end of the fall semester in 1923 and stated that he intended to pursue a career in business.

[16] He appeared at a Madison gymnasium with a written offer from the manager of one of the top professional teams, tore it up, and threw it in a waste basket, stating: "No one loves to play football any better than I do, but in my opinion there is no comparison between college and professional football.