 Born in San Francisco, Herrerias graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory in 1944 and served in the United States Navy afterwards.From 1947 to 1950, Herrerias played college basketball at the University of San Francisco, where he was a member of the 1949 NIT championship team coached by Pete Newell.Herrerias received All-American honors (HM) in 1950.