Rick Oates earned 11 varsity letters as a football, basketball and baseball standout at Arlington High School and capped off a brilliant gridiron career as a first-team all-Ohio linebacker in 1970. Oates earned first-team all-Blanchard Valley Conference honors as a linebacker, offensive tackle and was a co-captain and MVP as a senior when Arlington shared the conference title with Cory-Rawson and McComb. He also played a major role in the Red Devils compiling a 43-15 record in three seasons as an all-conference center in basketball and he set a school rebounding record in 1970-71. Arlington went unbeaten in 1969-70 and 1970-71, earning back-to-back conference titles. Oates was a also a co-most valuable player in baseball as a senior. Oates went on to a four-year college football career at Capital University. He was a first-team all-Ohio Conference linebacker and a co-captain as a senior. As a junior, he was a second-team all-conference linebacker.