 Born and raised in The Hill area of St. Louis, Missouri, Colombo played professionally for St. Louis Simpkins-Ford, winning National Challenge Cup medals with them in 1948 and 1950.He was known as "Gloves" because he always wore gloves when he played, regardless of the weather.Colombo played for the U.S. team from 1948 to 1952, including the 1–0 upset victory over England in the 1950 FIFA World Cup, in which his foul against Blackpool forward Stanley Mortensen in the second half gave England the chance to tie the game.