John Cherberg was born in Pensacola, Florida, the youngest of twelve children from a butcher father who emigrated from Europe. In 1919, his family moved to Seattle, Washington. He played football at Queen Anne High School before graduating in 1929. He attended the University of Washington (UW) and played halfback on the football team. Cherberg graduated in 1933 with a degree in economics. After graduation he taught classes and coached football at Cleveland and Queen Anne high schools in Seattle, where he led both schools to state football championships.