A 1941 graduate of Deshler High School in Tuscumbia where he played both offense and defense for the Tiger football team. In 1941 he was selected the Most Valuable Player on the squad and was signed to a football scholarship be the University of Alabama. Fay played freshman football for the Tide and then enlisted in the United States Navy. Following his tour of duty in the Navy, he went to Georgia Tech and played in 1943 and 1944. He was a member of the Tech team that won the SEC Championship in 1943. That year, the Yellow Jackets played in the Sugar Bowl against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.