At SHS: Ron played football and baseball while at Susquehannock. He was also a member of the Varsity Club and Latin Club.

After SHS: Ron joined the U.S. Army after high school, serving in Army Intelligence while stationed in Berlin. After receiving an honorable discharge in 1959, Ron pursued a college degree at the University of Oklahoma, graduating in 1963. After college, Ron was hired as a talent scout by the Oakland Raiders and was named Vice President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1975. He returned to the Oakland Raiders in 1978 as Director of Player Operations, assembling a decade of playoff contenders and adding two Super Bowl wins. After one year with the New York Jets, he joined the Green Bay Packers as their General Manager, where he executed one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the history of the National Football League, including a Super Bowl victory in back-to-back appearances.