Following high school, he attended Asbury College, in Wilmore, Kentucky, from which he graduated in 1978. The following year, he enrolled in a graduate program at East Tennessee State University and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant.
After finishing high school, he went on to attend Asbury College in Kentucky, where he earned his degree in 1978. He then began his coaching career by enrolling in a graduate program at East Tennessee State University and serving as a graduate assistant.