Craig Manwaring graduated from Highland High School in 1967. He attended the University of Wisconsin on a basketball scholarship, graduating in 1972 with a degree in American Studies. Craig was an outstanding athlete at HHS, excelling in basketball, football, baseball, and track. He earned 13 varsity letters and was named to multiple All-Midwestern Conference teams. He was a gifted receiver in football, a pitcher, and outfielder in baseball and a conference record holder in the 440-yard dash in track. He also ran the anchor leg for mile relay team that set the school record. But it was basketball that he left his most lasting legacy. During his four years at HHS he scored a school record 2045 points. In his senior year, Craig averaged 34 points and 13 rebounds per game to the lead the St. Louis Metro area in scoring. He holds the HHS scoring record with 58 points against St. Paul High School in the opening round of the Altamont Regional. He scored 46 points in the second half of the game, including 29 in the fourth quarter in that game. Both totals ranked in the top ten all time in Illinois high school basketball history at the time. His career total 2045 points is in the top 50 all-time in Illinois. All of Craig's points were scored without benefit of the three-point basket. At the University of Wisconsin, he teamed with a prolific group of freshmen that won 20 games (freshmen could not play varsity basketball in those days). A congenital back condition cut his basketball career short after two seasons.

After graduation, he landed a teaching position at United Township High School in East Moline, Illinois. There he reunited with his former high school basketball coach Cliff Talley. Manwaring coached freshmen and sophomore basketball and was Talley’s assistant varsity coach for the next 10 years. He was also the head baseball coach at nearby Blackhawk Junior College for two years during that span. He later became the high school baseball coach at United Township which had not won a conference or regional championship in decades, but during his tenure the team set a school record for the most wins in a season (27), advanced to the state tournament and won more than 100 games with him at the helm. He still has the most wins of any baseball coach at United Township.

Manwaring lettered four times in basketball at HHS and three varsity letters each in baseball, football and track. He was named to more than ten All-Midwestern Conference teams, including three times in basketball. He was an All-State player in both football and basketball (twice). In 1967 Manwaring was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Basketball Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year at Highland High School. In addition to being named to the all Midwestern Conference basketball team his senior year, he was named to the all-area team by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, to the all-state team by the Chicago American and is the only HHS basketball player to ever be named a Parade Magazine All-American. The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association inducted him into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.