Pick-up games of baseball, football, and basketball in the back yard with his three brothers played a key role in the early developmental years of Lewistown native Chuck Wills. He participated successfully in Little League baseball, junior high school basketball, and high school football at Governor Thomas Johnson High School, but it was in track and field that Wills truly excelled. After winning his first Maryland state championship in the high hurdles as a Patriot sophomore, he went on to win four more state titles and set Maryland records in the 50-yard high hurdles and the 180-yard low hurdles. Although blessed with exceptional speed, it was his technique and work ethic that later earned him a full scholarship to Notre Dame, where he lettered three years.