[6] Ahearne was born in Norwalk, California, raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Springfield, Virginia, by his mother Germaine and father Daniel.

[7] Ahearne later competed in collegiate wrestling and college football at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

As a wrestler, he was a four-time All-New England performer, with his best showing being the 1990–1991 academic year when he finished 3rd overall in his weight class.

[8] Ahearne has both a Ph.D. and a master's degree in marketing with a minor in decision sciences from Indiana University.

He also holds an MBA and a bachelor's degree in mathematics with honors from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.