He was a basketball player at Paris Junior College from 1979–1981 and for Southwest Texas State University from 1981 to 1983 and coached at the school in a few years after that.
As a young athlete, he participated in basketball at Paris Junior College from 1979 to 1981 and then continued his education at Southwest Texas State University from 1981 to 1983. He eventually returned to the university as a coach in some capacity for a few years later.