Raised in Salem, Oregon, Coons studied agriculture at Oregon State College and graduated in 1939. In addition to playing for the football team, Coons was a member of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity and involved in the Thanes and Blue Key service groups.
Charles Mason MacDougall Rice was born on April 28, 1898 in Snohomish, Washington. He had an early interest in photography and the industrial arts and began his teaching career in 1921 in the elementary and secondary schools of Everett, Washington. During this time he earned a BA in Fine Arts (1936) and a Masters in Education (1939) from Washington State College. Rice earned an Ed.D degree from Oregon State College in 1958, with a major in Education and minors in Industrial Arts (Industrial Education) and Fine Arts. He was an instructor in the Art Department during the 1946-1947 year. Rice died in Seattle in 1993.