 He played professional football for five seasons as a center and end for the Washington Redskins (1940–1942), San Francisco 49ers (1946), and Los Angeles Dons (1947).He coached football from 1948 to 1964, including stints as head coach at the University of New Mexico (1953–1955) and San Jose State (1957–1964).Titchenal was born in 1917 in Ventura, California, and attended Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, California.