 He was an All-American at Duke University and in 1959 won the Outland Trophy, given to the nation's best interior lineman.After playing for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1960 to 1962, he returned as an assistant coach to Duke, and then at the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, before becoming head coach at East Carolina University (1970) and Duke (1971–1978).At East Carolina, he compiled a 3–8 record, and at Duke he compiled a 37–47–4 record.