A native of Port Huron, Michigan, Wismer displayed great interest and prowess in sports at an early age, earning letters in football, basketball, and baseball at St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin. He later played college football at both the University of Florida and Michigan State University, his playing career ending at the latter school when he damaged a knee severely during a game against the University of Michigan. He then began broadcasting Michigan State sports on MSU's radio station WKAR in a position arranged for him by his coach, Charlie Bachman. In 1934 he was hired as the public-address announcer for the Detroit Lions, who were then owned by the same man, George A. "Dick" Richards, who owned Detroit radio station WJR. Wismer soon began doing a ten-minute daily