Lloyd Appleton attended Cornell College in Iowa where he was undefeated for four years of dual meet competition. His best year was easily the Olympic year of 1928, when he took the Midwest AAu and National AAU titles at 158 lbs. He continued to wrestle for several more years, and competed at the 1932 Olympic Trials, but made the team only as an alternate, and did not compete at the Olympics. Appleton later earned graduate degrees in education from Columbia and New York University and became an instructor for over 20 years at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. While there he coached the wrestling team for 19 years and developed the physical aptitude examination required of all cadets. For his services to the Academy, in 1958 he was given the Civilian Service Decoration – the first time it was ever awarded.