Pruett is a native of Beckley, West Virginia and was a star football player, wrestler, and sprinter at Woodrow Wilson High School. He attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia where he originally played halfback on the football team, but moved to tight end his last two years, catching 24 passes for 442 yards andfour touchdowns. After graduation in 1965 he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, and later played for five seasons with a semi-pro team in Virginia.