Avrakotos was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, the son of a Greek American soft drink manufacturer, from the island of Lemnos. He briefly worked at Jones and Laughlin Steel mill in Aliquippa before graduating valedictorian from Aliquippa High School in 1955.[1] He initially attended college at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, but left after two years due to a strain on family finances. He found work at a local steel mill.