Before he joined the NFL, Sacksteder was a basketball standout at the University of Dayton, then called St. Marys Institute. In the fall of 1913, Norb helped form a football team under the school's name, the St. Marys Cadets. The team's first year posted a 7-0 record. St. Mary's then won the Dayton city championship and then defeated the Cincinnati Celts 27-0 at Redland Park in Cincinnati.