 Two years later, he went on to Des Moines North, taking over for seven years as a swimming coach from Jack McGuire, and also as a track coach, helping teams to take three state cross-country titles, before switching to work as track coach for a year at Grinnell College.In 1948, he took over as the head men's cross country coach at the University of Iowa, a job which he held for 30 years.He coached the Hawkeyes to their first ever Big Ten Cross Country team titles in 1963 and 1967, and championed the cause that African-American athletes could excel at more than just running short sprints.