Born in the Westmorland district of
Madison,
Wisconsin, he graduated from
Madison West High School in 1966, where he was an all-state running back and track and field standout. His state record in
shot put of in 1966 stood for 39 years. Voight accepted a football scholarship to the
University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he also played on the baseball and track and field teams. Voight batted .350 in his two baseball seasons with the Badgers, while his track and field team won Big Ten Championships in all his seasons at the university. On the football team, he was a star halfback and tight end on some of the worst teams in
Badger history, which won just three games in his three varsity years of
1967–
1969, all in his senior season. As a senior, Voight was his team's leading receiver, catching 39 passes for 429 yards and 2 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 63 receptions for 704 yards and 3 touchdowns, along with 150 rushing yards and 3 more scores. In 2000, he was enshrined in Wisconsin's athletic hall of fame. ==Professional career==