Rob started wrestling at Hedrick Junior High, winning the 7th grade championship, and followed by doing the same in the 8th and 9th grades. In 1967 he entered Medford Senior High and won the Southern Oregon Conference Championship as a sophomore. This was followed by Southern Oregon Conference titles in 1968, as a junior, and 1969 his senior year. In his junior year he placed 5th at the Oregon State Tournament and 3rd place in the Oregon Free Style Tournament. The summer of 1968 he toured Japan with the Oregon Cultural Exchange Wrestling team.

As a senior in 1969, Rob was State Champion in the Oregon High School Tournament at 148lbs, Free style State Champion at 150 lbs., and took 3rd place in the Greco-Roman tournament. He was 150 lb champion in the Oregon Cultural Exchange Tournament and toured New Zealand during the summer of 1969. As a result of these honors, he was selected to the Scholastic Wrestling News High School All American in 1969.

As a senior at Medford High, Rob started on the football team as a linebacker and was one of Medford High’s most successful extra point and field goal kickers. This, along with his wrestling, earned him the Annual KMED award as Medford High Outstanding Athlete of 1969

Rob received a 4-year scholarship to Oregon State University and was on the team that placed 4th in 1971 and 2nd in 1973 at the National NCAA Colligate Wrestling Tournament. During his freshman year at Oregon State University, he was pulled out of his daily wrestling practice session to “suit up” with the freshman football team, for one day, due to the injury of the team place kicker. As it turned out, his one-day college football career began and ended by his kicking the winning point against the University of Oregon frosh, final score 7-6.