Before joining ESPN in 1993 as a college basketball announcer, he was one of America's most visible college basketball coaches.

He began his coaching career in 1963 as a graduate assistant at Rider College, where he had played basketball. After a move to the high school ranks, he got his first full assistant job in 1966 at the University of Pennsylvania. His first head coaching job came in 1970 at Fordham University; after leading the Rams to a 26-3 record in the 1970-71 season, he was named head coach at the University of Notre Dame.

During his 20 seasons at Notre Dame (1971-1991), his teams went 393-197, with 14 seasons of 20 wins or more. In 1978, Notre Dame made its only (men's) Final Four to date. However, his most-remembered game was on January 19, 1974, when the Fighting Irish scored the last 12 points of the game to defeat top-ranked UCLA 71-70, ending the Bruins' record 88-game winning streak.