Dewaine Guy Orr was born May 30, 1944, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Gerald D. and Margola Burd Orr. Dewaine grew up in Pershing, Oklahoma, and moved to Ponca City, OK when he was in the eighth grade. A gifted athlete, Dewaine excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. He graduated from Ponca City High School with the class of 1962. After graduation, Dewaine played football on a scholarship at Northern Oklahoma College.