[2][4] Dye returned to the Los Angeles area after earning his degree and served as head boys' basketball coach at St. John Bosco High School of Bellflower, California from 1962 to 1965.

[6] Dye coached Cal State Fullerton to the 1976 PCAA regular season title and 1978 PCAA tournament championship, and Cal State Fullerton made the West Regional Final of the 1978 NCAA tournament in what was considered a Cinderella run.

[9] In 1981, Dye became head coach of Division II Cal State Bakersfield; the program made the 1982 and 1983 NCAA tournaments.

[10] First-year Boise State University athletics director Gene Bleymaier hired Dye as head coach in 1983, and Dye's first season with the Boise State Broncos was 15–13, ending seven straight losing seasons and making men's basketball nearly as popular as football.

[11][12] With Dye as head coach, Boise State made the NCAA tournament in 1988, 1993, and 1994, and the NIT in 1987, 1989, and 1991.