In 1977, he jumped from the prep ranks to Miami University (Ohio) where he coached one season before moving on to North Carolina.
Preceding his tenure at Georgia Tech, Priefer spent two seasons (1984–85) as the special teams coach for the Green Bay Packers.
Prior to his tenure at Georgia Tech, Priefer spent the 1986 season as the defensive coordinator at Kent State.
In 1996, punter Darren Bennett, followed his standout campaign of 1995 with a record-setting season as he averaged a team-record 45.6 yards per punt.
In 1994, kicker John Carney led the NFL in scoring with 135 points en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
Since the arrival of Priefer in 1997, the Lions have seen a noticeable upturn in production from K Jason Hanson, who scored his 1,400th career point in 2005, as well as with its "Hard Core" coverage units.
Over the past four years, the Lions special teams return units have been the best in the NFL when it comes to scoring touchdowns.
During Priefer's nine-year tenure in Detroit, he has had five different players return kicks for touchdowns (Terry Fair, Desmond Howard, Az-Zahir Hakim, Eddie Drummond and Reggie Swinton).
Priefer originally joined the Lions in 1997, moving along with head coach Bobby Ross from the San Diego Chargers.
He was then retained as special teams coordinator by Gary Moeller, Marty Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci, Dick Jauron, and Rod Marinelli.
Priefer has formulated a superb combination of talent and scheme in developing the Lions' return game into a force.
The previous record of four special teams return touchdowns was accomplished five times, with two of them coming under Priefer's guidance (1951, 1992, 1994, 2002, and 2003).
Priefer has helped mold Pro Bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers into an impressive kick-blocking force.
In 2005, Rogers notched his seventh career blocked field goal when he re-directed a John Kasay 52-yard attempt vs. Carolina (10/16).