In 1951, Mudra coached in Pop Warner football, leading his team to the national championship game. Mudra was hired as an assistant basketball coach at the University of Omaha—now known as the University of Nebraska Omaha—in 1952, where he was also pursuing a master's degree in English.
Mudra took charge of Pop Warner football in 1951 and led his team to the national championship game. He then joined the University of Omaha (now the University of Nebraska Omaha) as an assistant basketball coach in 1952, while simultaneously working on a master's degree in English.