As a high school athlete, Eddleman won three Illinois state high jump titles. As a collegian, each year that Eddleman attended Illinois he also competed in track as a high jumper. Eddleman would win various high jump titles while at Illinois, including the Chicago Relays, the Illinois Tech Relays, and the Penn Relays. Additionally, he won three high jump titles in each appearance at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, the Central Collegiate Championships, and the Drake Relays. He also won an NCAA Championship in 1948 as well as Big Ten outdoor high jump titles in 1947 and 1949, the Kansas Relays, the Compton Relays, the Purdue Relays, and the Kansas City Games. During his four years of competition, his Fighting Illini team would win an NCAA championship in 1947.