Donald Freck League starred in football at the high school, college, and professional levels from 1949 until 1967. Freck started playing varsity football for Huntsville High School while he was still in junior high school. After five years of high school football, he graduated as a 160 pound guard and signed a scholarship to play college football for Mississippi State University. Freck played football for Mississippi State for four years then moved on to play semi-pro football with the Air Force for four more years. In 1966, Freck coached the Huntsville Rockets of the North American Football League. He ended his football career first as a player for the Alabama Hawks in 1967 then as a coach for the Hawks in 1968 and 1969.