Born in the Philippines into a military family, Frey relocated with his family to Fayetteville, North Carolina, when he was in the 6th grade. He attended Fayetteville 71st High School, where he excelled in both football and wrestling. Frey earned recognition as All-Conference and All City-County in football, and in 1971, he received Honorable Mention All-East football honors. On the wrestling mats, he was a three-time state qualifier for the Falcons. After graduating from Fayetteville 71st in 1972, he went on to wrestle at Pembroke State University. During his time at Pembroke State, Frey became a District 29 Champion, a two-time Region Seven Champion, and a three-time NAIA National Qualifier for the Braves.

Frey graduated from Pembroke State with a degree in Physical Education in 1976 and began his career in education at Fayetteville Byrd High (1976-78), Madison-Mayodan High (1979-80), and Kinston High (1981). While coaching both football and wrestling, he reinstated the wrestling program at Madison-Mayodan and established a wrestling program at Kinston. In 1983, Frey assumed head coaching duties at Morehead High School, where he remained until his retirement in 2010.

At Morehead, Frey led one of North Carolina’s most dominant wrestling programs. At the time of his retirement, the program was featured in the national rankings and held records for Most Team Points (Season) and Most Team Points (Dual Meet). Four individual Morehead wrestlers were listed in the national records for Season Wins, Season Pins, and Career Pins. Frey’s teams won 17 consecutive conference titles from 1994 to 2010 and captured five NCHSAA state dual team championships in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, and 2006, along with three NCHSAA state tournament championships in 1998, 1999, and 2006. His Panther teams also finished as state dual team runner-up four times in 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008, and as state tournament runner-up in 2008. His career dual team record was 576-124-5.

Coach Frey was named NC Mat News Coach of the Year in 1998, 1999, 2002, and 2006, and he was honored as the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year for North Carolina in 1999 and 2002. In 2002, he was named the NWCA Coach of the Year for the Southeastern US, placing him among the top eight coaches nationally. In addition to leading the Panther wrestling program, Frey also coached cross country and football for many years.  In 2006, he was inducted into the North Carolina Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, receiving the "Lifetime Service to Wrestling" award.