Dewar attended Indiana University, where he was a standout as a halfback on the school's football team starting as a sophomore in 1942.[1] He ran back a punt 90 yards for a touchdown in a 53–0 victory over Butler University that year.[1] Dewar joined the U.S. Army in 1943 during World War II and played service football at Camp Grant in Rockford, Illinois.[2] He was selected in 1944 to play in the College All-Star Game, a now-defunct matchup between the National Football League champion and a squad composed of the country's best college players.[3] After the war, Dewar returned for a final season at Indiana.[4]
^ ab"Indiana Trounces Butler U., 53-0". The Pittsburgh Press. Bloomington, Ind. United Press International. September 27, 1942. p. 3. Retrieved September 17, 2012.