He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1886, where he was an outstanding halfback on the first football team to be fielded by the school. He graduated in 1890, and was to have trained aboard but it was wrecked before he could join it. He spent the next two years being shunted from to and finally to . He was appointed an ensign in 1892, and his first assignment was aboard . He also served short stints aboard , , and .