Krongard graduated with honors from Princeton University with an A.B. in philosophy in 1958 after completing a senior thesis titled "The Nature and Meaning of Religious Propositions." He then received a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law. While at Princeton, Krongard played lacrosse. In 1980, he was inducted as a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Krongard played for the storied amateur Mount Washington Lacrosse Club. He served three years of active duty as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps.