A high school football star and acclaimed track and field sprinter, as a junior Kmetovic was the starting left halfback for the undefeated 1940 Stanford University team, remembered as "The Wow Boys," leading the squad in scoring and yards per carry.

He attended San José High School in that city, where he distinguished himself as a track and field sprinter, turning in a 10.1 second time in the 100-yard dash at one meet in the spring of 1936.

[2] His performance in the 4x100 relay won San Jose the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) title over Palo Alto High School that month.

[3] Regarded as one of the two fastest sprinters competing in the PAL during his junior year of 1936, Kmetovic also played football for the Bulldogs, starting at the fullback position.

[4] He was a feared and effective punt returner[5] and used his speed to great advantage on the defensive side of the ball, with one newspaper reporter noting that "Little Pete" had befuddled the locals with "long, scintillating sprints downfield" and "broke up a tricky aerial offense with interceptions.

[11] In this era the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) required students attend a university for one year prior to playing varsity football, so Kmetovic found himself one of 60 prospects trying to win a spot on the school's freshman team.

[15] Future NFL players Albert and Kmetovic were promoted to the Stanford varsity by head coach Tiny Thornhill ahead of the fall 1939 season.

[17] The undefeated 1940 Stanford team with its unorthodox offense captured the public imagination and its players were tagged "The Wow Boys" in the press.

[18] The team featured four future NFL players in the backfield — Albert, Kmetovic, Norm Standlee, and Hugh Gallarneau — as well as two pros on the line.

[15] He was remembered as "extremely fast and shifty with a marvelous change of pace — a real breakaway artist who was a threat every time he got his hands on the ball.

[20] Albert's designation was the result of his having flat feet, while Kmetovic was downgraded for having false teeth and a broken nose — football-related infirmities.

On August 28, 1942, Kmetovic played a game as part of the College All-Stars team that took on the reigning NFL Champion Chicago Bears.

[25] Kmetovic spent the fall of 1942 at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, located near Chicago, where he played service football for head coach lieutenant Tony Hinkle and the Bluejackets,[26] one of the strongest teams in the country.