Badger played junior varsity college basketball at the University of Iowa, and later for the U.S. Air Force and division teams.
He got his first basketball coaching job at St. Mary's High School, while getting his master's degree from the University of Iowa.
Badger joined the Chicago Bulls as a part‐time assistant and head scout in 1973 while still athletic director and coach at Wright.
He was appointed the Bulls' third-ever head coach on August 25, 1976, succeeding Dick Motta who had accepted a similar position with the Washington Bullets three months earlier on May 28.
In 1988 Badger became vice president of basketball operations for the new expansion team Charlotte Hornets, where he stayed until 1990.