Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Herber was a Packers fan from a young age, all while starring at local Green Bay West High School in football and basketball. He played two years of college football, on the freshman team at University of Wisconsin–Madison and spent his sophomore season at Regis College in Denver, which dropped football after the 1929 season. Herber went back to Green Bay and worked in the club house as a handyman. Coach Curly Lambeau gave Herber a try-out and Herber at age 20 joined a team that was currently dominating the NFL.
