 He was twice named conference coach of the year.In 1966, he became the head basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University, where he was named National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) District Coach of the Year in 1971 and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) District 4, Coach of the Year in 1972.While at Eastern Michigan, his team played in the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971; and the NCAA College Division Finals in Evansville, Indiana in 1972.