Having lost his father in the Korean War, Rudy Guevara was raised by a single mother who encouraged his involvement in activities including the Boy Scouts and athletics.

He competed in baseball, football and wrestling at Gonzales High School. He placed third in the first California Interscholastic Federation Championships at 112 pounds and earned All-State and All-America honors in wrestling as a senior. Recruited by the Air Force Academy, San Francisco State University, Stanford University and UCLA, Guevara opted to stay close to home for his mother and accepted a scholarship to San Jose State University.

Guevara was All-Pacific Coast Conference three-times and had a 106-28 career record while also serving as team captain at SJSU. After earning his bachelor's degree in kinesiology/human performance and special education, he worked as an assistant coach at SJSU from 1978 to 1985.

He began coaching with USA Wrestling on a tour to Poland and Russia followed by trips to Germany, Japan, and Puerto Rico. Guevara coached in the 1994 Pan American Games and was also a member of the coaching staffs for the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1990 World Cup in Turkey. He was the fourth coach in U.S. history to coach in four Olympic Festivals, working in Houston in 1986, Minneapolis in 1990, Los Angeles in 1991 and San Antonio in 1993.

Guevara taught and coached at Santa Teresa High School for 20 years while also serving as the head coach and director of the San Jose USA Wrestling club for 23 years. He was head coach and director of the California Junior Olympics team from 1981 to 1991 while also being a member of USA Wrestling's National Team staff from 1986 to 2004. He has served in the capacity of director, event coordinator or consultant for wrestling and other sporting events, including but not limited to the USA Wrestling national tournament, USA vs. World All-Stars, USA vs. Belarus, Junior Olympics state championships, Western Regional championships, Western Region Olympic Trials, USA vs. Ireland boxing, Oracle U.S. Open track and field meet, and the Valley Care Foundation golf tournament.

A Spokesperson for the 2012 San Francisco Olympic bid and for Northern California Olympians, Guevara also worked with Save School Sports Programs, Special Olympics and Make-A-Wish. He was a technical advisor for the motion pictures "One More Shot" and "Lloyd."

Guevara has served on the Board of Directors for the San Jose State University Hall of Fame and the California Junior Olympics while being the director of the University of Minnesota's national summer youth camps and the Junior Olympics coaches education program.

He is a California Interscholastic Federation Central Coast Section Honor Coach and also a member of the Santa Teresa High School Hall of Fame, the Gonzales High School Hall of Fame, the Salinas Valley / Monterey County Sports Hall of Fame, and the San Jose State University Olympic Hall of Fame.