Humphreys served in the Navy in the 1950s and at Penn State majored in exercise and sport science. He remains one of the few Penn State athletes to letter in two sports in the same season, for wrestling and boxing. Humphreys is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, having coached some of the greatest high school wrestling programs in Pennsylvania. He later became an assistant coach at his alma mater. In one movie scene, Humphreys, in his late 80s at the time, rolls around on the mat with Penn State coach Cael Sanderson, the greatest collegiate wrestler of all time.