After serving in the United States Navy, Puddington began his coaching career as an assistant to Jack Fouts at Fairmont High School in Kettering, Ohio.
He was appointed head football coach there in 1958 and led his team to a 9–0 record and a seventh-place ranking among high schools in the state that season.
In 1959, Puddington moved to Kent State, where he served as backfield coach under Trevor J. Rees for three seasons.
[1] Puddington resigned as head coach at Kent State following the 1970 season, noting "the prevailing contagious negativism on campus and in the community".
[2] Puddington returned to coaching for one season in 1977 at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia.