In 1941, Fesler accepted an offer from Wesleyan University to be the head coach of their football team. Unfortunately, the Wesleyan football program was interrupted after the 1942 season by World War II. In 1945, Fesler accepted an offer from Princeton as head basketball coach and assistant football coach. He later became the head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh in 1946. In 1947, he became the head coach at Ohio State. He resigned on December 9, 1950, citing "excessive pressure for winning football games". After leaving Ohio State, he became head coach at the University of Minnesota from 1951–1953.