High school and college

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Prestel graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Indianapolis in 1955. He ventured west to play college football for head coach Skip Stahley at the University of Idaho, where he started for the Vandals in the PCC alongside future pros Jerry Kramer, Wayne Walker, and Jim Norton. Prestel was a two-sport athlete for the Vandals, where he also lettered in basketball as a 6'5" center for head coach Harlan Hodges, and made honorable mention in the PCC for the 1958-59 season.

Selected by the Browns in the sixth round of the 1959 NFL Draft with the 70th overall pick, Prestal remained in college; he had missed most of the 1957 football season to return to Indianapolis, where his mother was terminally ill. He was granted another year of eligibility and played the 1959 season at Idaho, and was elected team captain by his teammates. He broke his left foot in practice prior to the Battle of the Palouse game with WSU in October, but played the first half of the game anyway. He missed the remainder of the season, the East-West Shrine Game, and the 1959-60 Vandal basketball season. Prestel played in the College All-Star Game at Soldier Field in August 1960, against the defending NFL champion Baltimore Colts.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]