Ron was an All-Conference, athlete in football, basketball, and baseball at Spalding Institute and achieved All-State honors in basketball.  He accepted a full scholarship to Western Illinois University for basketball.  After his freshman year he transferred to Bradley University on a baseball scholarship.  At BU he played baseball for three years and football for two years.  In 1964, he was selected for the All-Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Team.  Ron was invited to play on the first Peoria Pacers Baseball Team in the Central Illinois Collegiate League, batting 4^th in the lineup and playing 3^rd base alongside Don Kessinger, the eventual star shortstop for the Chicago Cubs.  After college he shared his sports acumen as an assistant coach for Spalding’s basketball teams that were the state runners-up in 1969 and 1970 Class AA Tournament.   He was the pitching coach for the 1974 East Peoria team that placed 2^nd in the Class AA Baseball Tournament.  Ron was a player/manager in Peoria’s Sunday Morning League for 15 years; for 20 years he served as supervisor of the softball program for the Peoria Park District; for 6 years was active in Little League; and for 2 years helped lead a youth basketball program. He was an umpire/official in baseball, basketball, and football at various levels of competition over 21 seasons.