Roy Conrad grew up participating in all the sports around town. His main sport was track and field, as it was the only IHSAA sport at the time, even before basketball on a state level. However, basketball was very popular in and round the west central part of Indiana. Conrad won the 1907 IHSAA state broad jump with a record jump of 21-4 1/5, that stood as one of two 21-foot jumps for 15 years.
He attended Earlham College, lettering each of four years in track and field and basketball, distinguishing himself as their greatest athlete from 1907-1954. Conrad served as the team captain in both sports as a junior and senior. In track, he set six Earlham track records, including four performances that lasted for 43 years: broad jump 22-10, 220-yard dash 21.4, 100-yard dash 9.8 and mile relay 3:25.4, with a 440-yard leg clocking of 48.0. The latter was the nation’s best mile relay time in 1911. Conrad was honored as one of the Earlham College's Top 10 athletes of the 20th Century.
Following his college career, he was a high school coach in Rock Island and Moline for several years. He then became head coach at Augustana College in Rock Island, where he remained until his retirement.
Roy Conrad passed away in 1983.