Before the 1982–83 season, Ficke hired by the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to be an assistant coach.
[1] Denver Post sports writer Terry Frei recalled that Ficke would bring his golden retriever to practice with him.
[5] Ficke was dismissed from his position of assistant coach of the Denver Nuggets by general manager Vince Boryla in July 1984.
[6] During the 1984–85 NBA season Ficke served as a scout for the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz.
Ficke runs a fundraiser known as the “9/11 Day of Giving” in which the proceeds from the pizzeria go to cancer research foundations in Colorado.