 McBride began his coaching career at San Jose State in 1965, serving as the freshman coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.He then spent two years as an assistant coach at Piedmont Hills High School (1966–1968) and three years as an assistant at Gavilan College (1969–1971), before returning to the NCAA ranks.From 1972 to 1973, he served as an assistant coach at University of California, Riverside, where he was in charge of the offensive line and served as offensive coordinator.