Kirkman attended Central High School in Akron, Ohio.

[1] He began his career at Western Reserve, where he played running back.

[2][3] He was the starting quarterback for the undefeated 1927 Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team, sharing a backfield with Bill Amos, Bob Heisel, and Cleve Cook.

He started sixteen games over those three seasons and completed 30 of 97 passes for 393 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.

This biographical article relating to an American football running back born in the 1900s is a stub.