Born in Weatherford, Okla., Umbach was captain of both the football and wrestling teams from 1923 to 1927. He twice won all-conference football honors and took the conference wrestling title at 158 pounds all four years. He then went on to coach high school wrestling over the next 14 years at Geary, Cushing, Newkirk and later Tulsa Central. His high school teams won more than 81% of their duals and claimed 13 state champions. Umbach later became the head coach at Auburn University after serving as an assistant at the SEC school under his former Southwestern coach Dutch Voyles. Umbach led the Auburn program 28 years and recorded an amazing 249-28 record in dual competitions. His teams won 25 of 26 Southeastern Conference Championships and had another 128 individual champions before he retired in 1973. Umbach was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.